


Once Upon a December (An Eruri Anastasia!Au)

by AmagyDragon25



Category: Anastasia (1997), Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Anastasia Fusion, Bat!Bertolt, Comedy, Con!Erwin, Con!Hanji, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied Uke Levi, M/M, Minor Moblit Berner/Hange Zoë, PRINCE!LEVI, Romance, Song Parody, Songfic, Yaoi, You will get a Smutty bonus, ackerman parents - Freeform, double name!Levi/Rivaille, everyone sings, if I revieve enough comments, kenny and kuchel aren't siblings, puppy!Eren, random hanji, teen levi, unrelated ackermans, wizard!Beast titan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-02 11:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5246237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmagyDragon25/pseuds/AmagyDragon25
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi is an orphan who has no memory of his past. </p><p>With a winged pendant as his only clue, he decides to find his long lost family. With the help of a puppy named Eren and the conning-couple, Erwin and Hanji, Levi enbarks in an adventure to find his destiny, unaware that a curse tries to claim his soul. </p><p>Rated T and up for: language (levi's) and yaoi</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ch 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! Thanks for reading my very first Eruri Fanfiction ever written!  
> (plz, be kind)
> 
> I wanted to warn you that English is not my original language, so you might find many (MANY) errors. I'd like if you can send me comments on possible errors so I can fix them.
> 
> PS: Levi is the character's original name, but I'll use it as a shorter version for Rivaille just like Anya for Anastasia.
> 
> Beast titan is now named, story updated to the latests mangas.
> 
> Thank you very much and Enjoy! :D

 

 

**Chap 1: A Carillon Caked in Blood**

A green and blue carillon with silver patterns rested on a counter, tuning a slow, sweet melody-like lullaby. The figures of a man and a woman gracefully twirled around the center of the music box before the lid slowly closed and the music stopped.

An old woman with combed grey hair gently picked up the small carillon and tucked it in her purse. She wore a long red and golden dress with a green foulard around her shoulders. Portraits of Royal Family members encased in elegant frames rested on the same counter.

She walked down the stairs and out of her palace, where her carriage awaited her down in the street.

_There was a time, not very long ago…when we lived in an enchanted world of elegant palaces and grand parties._

It was a lovely winter night. The city was lightened up which gave the falling snowflakes a gentle yellow glow. Carriages and cars lined one after another on the streets en route the grand palace in the center of the city, crossing the tall bronze gates and stop into the large front courtyard.

_The year was 850…and my son, Kenny, was the King of Imperial Sina._

The old woman walked to the entrance of the palace. The royal guards at the door, dressed in their brown military uniforms and carrying long spears, bowed respectfully at her.

Inside the main hall; illuminated by the large roof chandeliers, the guests danced across the marble floor at the rhythm of the orchestra’s music.

The woman, Empress Ackerman, made her way to the throne where she sat on the fine red velvet of the chair.

"Hello darling!" she greeted with a gentle smile, waving at a small group of dancing people.

_We were celebrating the 300th anniversary of our family's rule._

Dancing between them, as a small group, were three people dressed in royal garments and uniforms.

One was a tall man with black hair and a short beard. He was dressed in a green uniform with a golden sash across the chest and the right shoulder. He wore white pants with a golden line on the sides and all-black ball shoes.

The woman was rather short but beautiful, with long, silky raven hair and grey eyes. She was dressed in a cobalt blue dress with silver decors matching with the diadem on her head.

Right behind her, merrily looking around, dressed in his blue uniform, white pants and black shoes, was the youngest member of the Ackerman’s Royal Family…with his short dark hair and stormy grey eyes.

_And that night…No star burned brighter than that of our kind Rivaille, my youngest grandson._

The little boy noticed his grandmother sitting on the throne and waved at her before running up to her.

"Hi grandma!" he greeted brightly.

"Hello, Rivaille." she cooed "How is my little prince doing?"

"Fine, so far. Look!" he said before pulling out his pocket a drawing he made and handing it over to her. “It’s for you.”

"Oh, My. So lovely." she said happily, taking the draw in her hands. She then smiled. "I also have something for you, my dear."

The boy seemed to have a permanent sour face (all credit to his father), but his grey eyes shone with curiosity.

_He begged me not to return to Maria Kingdom. So I had a very special gift made for him, to make our separation easier for both of us._

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

As the two chatted, they didn't notice a blonde boy sneaking up behind the throne with an apple in his hand. He cleaned it against his uniform and took a bite of it.

"First…close your eyes…" the empress said.

The boy did so and when he opened them again, he gasped in surprise.

Before him was the silver, blue and green precious box. It was small, so that if could fit in his grandmother's palm, and its surface gleamed in the lights.

"For me?" He asked in surprise as he took the gift in his hands "Is this a jewelry box?"

The blonde boy looked at the scene with mild interest when someone grabbed his shoulder and called out to him.

"Erwin, didn't I told you to stay put at your station?" asked the taller, older man; one of the guards.

"Sorry dad…" the boy apologized.

"Come. We should go back." the soldier said to his son before they walked back to their post.

Rivaille studied the small box in his hands until the grandmother showed him a small key attached to a silver necklace. It was a shield with a couple of feathered wings overlapping one another. The upper one was silvery white and the other was a deep, metallic blue.

"Look." she said and inserted the key in the box, giving it a few twists.

The lid of the carillon opened up and revealed the two dancing figures inside as the music begun to play.

Rivaille's eyes glimmered in awe and looked up with a smile. "It plays our lullaby."

The old woman nodded "You can play it at night before you go to sleep and pretend that's it's me singing." She explained before she started to chant.

**_On the wind_ **

**_'Cross the sea_ **

**_Hear this song and remember…_ **

_(Rivaille joined in the singing, his voice was sweet and high pitched due to his young age. They held hands as they swung slowly in rhythm with the carillon)._

**_Soon you'll be home with me_ **

**_Once upon a December._ **

The little boy giggled at the end of the song.

The grandmother closed the lid and gave him the key. "Read what it says."

" _'Together in Maria'_ " he read on the back of the shield. "Really?" He asked with hope to which the empress smiled.

"Thanks, grandma." He thanked as he lunged to hug the empress.

The older woman laughed heartily as she returned the little boy's hug.

So far, everything seemed to be just perfect…their people was happy; they had a beautiful family and unconditional love.

But as it goes to everyone…nothing lasts forever... And some things came way too soon to an end.

_But we would never be together in Maria. For a dark shadow had descended upon the house of the Ackermans._

The doors then slammed open and the chandeliers dimmed until the whole hall went dark, attracting the guests' attention.

A dark, cloaked figure stood on the porch; the corpses of the two guards lying limp on the floor behind him in a pool of their own blood.

Some people gasped and screeched in horror, backing away when the figure walked straight toward the throne with its arms extended to make way through the crowd.

As soon as he stood by the stairs leading to the throne, the figure pulled off his hood to reveal the long beard, rounded glasses and dirty hair framing the man's face.

_His name was Zeke. We thought he was a holy man, but he was a fraud. Power mad and dangerous._

Kenny, the king, walked up to the man, a scowl on his glaring face.

"How dare you return here!" he growled.

"But I am your confidant." The wizard muttered humbly.

"Confidant? Tch. You're a traitor. Get out!" Kenny ordered.

"You think you can banish the Great Zeke?!" The madman bellowed in anger.

He pulled out his robes a cylindrical, glowing relic of glass and bronze attached to a string. The metal was shaped like a snake crawling around the tube, ending on the top of a human skull. It glowed with an eerie green light and the Madman held it up before the royal family, showing it.

"By the unholy powers vested in me, I banish you with a curse!" he declared.

The crowd gasped in horror and some quickly scattered away toward the door as fast as they could.

Rivaille glared at the man with a mixture of fear and anger. His grandmother had her hands on both his shoulders protectively, her face stricken with fear and dread.

"Mark my words." Zeke hissed while pointing at the king "You and your family will die within the fortnight!"

The remaining guests gasped and stepped back from the throne. Some guards quickly rushed past the room with their swords at the ready.

"I will not rest, until I see the end of the Ackerman line forever!" Zeke shouted and with that, he lifted the artifact and a green ray shot out.

It blasted the chain holding a large chandelier, making it fall in the middle of the ballroom. The crowd and guards quickly scattered out the way before they could be crushed by the falling object.

_Consumed by his hatred for Kenny and his family, Zeke sold his soul for the power to destroy them._

The wizard stood in front of a well as he casted a spell that summoned the forces of darkness and hell from the deeps of the earth. A black and green vortex erupted from the hole, sucking in the man’s skin and flesh until nothing was left but a living skeleton. From the vortex then appeared an artifact decorated with the bronze snake and a human skull on the top. As soon as the skeleton grabbed it, skin and flesh were restored to him once again, along with his robes.

Zeke grinned like a madman and with a gesture of his hand, the skull's mouth opened and small, little green demons with bat wings lurked out of it.

"Go, fulfill your dark purpose." he gloated "Seal the fate of the king and his family, once and for all."

_From that moment on, the spark of unhappiness in our country was fanned into a flame that would soon destroy our lives forever._

An angry mob, armed with torches and forks was gathered in the front of the gates shouting threats and imprecations wile beating the bars.

The tiny demons reached for the gate's lock, easily breaking it open and allowing the mad people in.

Hell broke loose then…royal statues were brought down, fires spread across the patio and gunshots boomed as the people inside the palace ran for dear life.

"Help!" "Hurry, children." They screamed as they rushed down the hallway.

The guards still loyal to the crown quickly ran toward the front gate to stop the insurrection, ready to intervene. With them was also the blonde boy, but he was stopped by his father.

"Erwin, stay here! It's too dangerous." The soldier ordered him.

"But father!" the boy called out "I want to help!"

"Do as I say!" the man replied before rushing out to fight.

Erwin stood helplessly in the hall as people ran past him in order to escape the bloodshed.

But then, one of them ran past him in the opposite direction, catching his attention.

_'My music box!'_ Rivaille thought as he ran back to his room. _'I have to find it.'_

"Rivaille, come back!" the worried voice of the empress echoed in the hall as she tried to keep up with her grandson.

The kid rushed into his room and managed to find his music box resting on the bedside table. The grandmother followed in short after. Explosions and fires could be heard and seen from the tall windows in the room.

But none of them noticed a small white bat spying on them through the glass.

"We have to get away from here." the old woman said hastily.

"Here."  Someone behind them spoke up.

The two turned to see the blonde, young boy open a secret passage within the walls. He donned the guards' recruit uniform.

"Please, hurry!" he urged.

"Come this way, out the servants' quarters." said the empress as she led her grandson to the exit.

"Gasp! Master! They're getting away!" the small bat exclaimed before hurriedly flying away.

"Wait, I..." Rivaille tried to say as he turned to the trainee.

"There is no time! Just go!" the blonde replied firmly as he slammed shut the secret passage.

The angry mob voices got louder until the doors of the room busted open and a group of harmed men with rifles stormed in the room.

"Where are they, boy?" One of the men hissed.

Erwin looked around for a weapon he could use until he picked up a bronze candlestick and used it to bring down a few men. In the midst of the fight, he failed to notice a foe coming up from behind him and then, a stinging pain in the back of his head.

He fell to the ground, unconscious.

Lying next to him was a small silver, blue and green music box.

>\---!---<

The palace and the city were plunged in chaos, burning with the flames of the revolution. The empress and the prince ran across the frozen lake, trying to put as much distance from the inferno behind them as they could. They had to reach the train station that would have brought them to safety.

"Keep up with me, darling." the grandmother panted. It was already difficult to run across the snow and ice, not to mention that she was too old for such things.

They ran under a bridge when a dark shadow suddenly fell upon the prince, grabbing his legs and throwing him down on the snow.

"Zeke!" the woman cried out as she tried to help her grandson back up to his feet. The madman however had no intention of let go.

"Let me go, damn it!" Rivaille shouted as he kicked out to free himself but in vain.

"No. you'll never escape me, child." the wizard hissed threatening. "Never!"

As they struggled, the ice under Zeke's body begun to crack until it broke with a sharp sound and he fell into the icy waters. When the madman realized his mistake, he was caught in panic.

"I said…Let. Me. GO!" Rivaille shouted and gave a strong kick on the madman's face, finally freeing himself.

Losing his grip on the boy, the wizard struggled in vain to hold on the ice as his body begun to sink, weighted down by his robes.

The two fugitives took the opportunity to run as fast as they could, far away from him.

"Bertolt!" the wizard cried out while his nails scratched the ice, trying to pull himself out.

The small white bat fled down next to his owner, who by now was slowly drowning.

"Master!" the bat gasped as Zeke finally sunk down in the black waters with a strangled gurgling noise; his hand was the last thing of him before it disappeared with the rest of him.

>\---!---<

The trains' pipes howled while people gathered to aboard the last exits. The very last train directed to Maria's Kingdom, that could have helped the two royal escapees, was just making its way out the station.

"Hurry, Rivaille, hurry!"  The empress urged as she tried to drive both herself and the boy in the midst of the large crowd.

The older woman reached for the train first and was hauled up by the other passengers on the end. However, Rivaille was having hard time to keep up.

"Grandma!"  Rivaille cried out as he ran.

"Here, take my hand. Hold on to my hand!" the older woman shouted, extending her arm out to help the kid.

Finally their hands entwined; but it was short lived when their hold suddenly slipped away.

Rivaille tripped and fell to the ground, hitting his head hard on the floor. His vision blurred in and out like the voices around him as he struggled to keep conscious, but soon darkness swept him away.

"Rivaille!" the grandmother screamed in desperation as the last living relative of her family disappeared from her sight.

_So many lives were destroyed that night. What had always been was now gone forever._

_And my Rivaille, my beloved grandchild…I never saw him again._

\----- Ackerman -----

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author notes: Updated chapter 1 with fixed grammar, added some better terms and updated Mr. Jackass's name (yes i will hate the guy)  
> Once again, I apologize for my English writing skills. If you happen to find any error or anything that requires fixing I would like to hear your critiques so I can fix it and make this story even better with your help :)  
> I repeat that you won’t get smut or lemon in this story, but if I receive enough comments and kudos you all will recieve a separated smutty bonus scene with the compliments of the house XD
> 
> see you next chapter!


	2. Ch 2: Meetings and Deals

**Chap 2: Meetings and Deals**

_10 years later…_

The capital city of Sina has been once a prosperous reign, but after the massacre of the Ackerman's royal family and the Revolution that followed; the whole kingdom fell to the bottom line.

The city changed in the following decade. It became more industrialized, but also incredibly dirty and corrupt.

The criminality and the violence were common on the city. The skies were darkened with thick, grey clouds, fault of the factories’ smokes, and so was the snow in the streets.

Since the revolution, times haven't been any happier as many had thought them to be...

**_Old man: Sina here is gloomy!_ **

**_Young woman: Sina here is bleak!_ **

**_Man: My sorry ass got frozen standing here all week!_ **

**_[Group of workers]_ **

**_Oh, since the revolution_ **

**_Our lives have been so gray!_ **

**_Thank goodness for the gossip_ **

**_That gets us through the day!_ **

_(One of the few things that made live bearable was pretty much the gossips. And let alone the most important of them... The whole city couldn't help but talk of it.)_

**_Hey!_ **

**_Have you heard_ **

**_There's a rumor here in Sina’s reign?_ **

**_Have you heard_ **

**_what they're saying on the street?_ **

_(As the crowd went by, a woman with square goggles and brown hair tied up in a messy ponytail walked past by, occasionally 'borrowing' an apple from a bystander's basket. She wore a long brown coat with fluffy cream-colored furs at the end of the sleeves and colarbone, and brown tall boots._

_She liked to walk around in search of some inspiration until she came across a newspaper stand where the newspaper man showed a group the first page.)_

**_Newspaper man: Although the King did not survive,_ **

**_His son may be still alive!_ **

**_All: The Prince Rivaille!_ **

_(They froze as they heard a scoffing sound. A man that carried a rifle with him glared at the crowd gathered there and the people walked away silently.)_

**_Frightened man:  But please do not repeat!_ **

_(Through the gossip was on everyone's mouths and papers, many of the corrupted militaries preferred to think the whole royal family was gone, so that they could continue their regimen without disturb.)_

**_All: It's a rumor,_** **** __  
A legend,  
A mystery!  
Something whispered in an alleyway  
Or through a crack!

_(The goggled woman made her way to a tavern. She knocked a couple times before she pressed her hear to the door and whispered something. The door then opened and she walked in.)_

**_It's a rumor_ ** **_  
That's part of our history._ **

_(She found herself in a large inner courtyard that worked as a small marketplace. The woman walked toward the stairs that led to the upper floors and passed by a crowded stand where an old babushka was using a souvenir snowball as a crystal sphere with the figurine of a dark haired boy inside.)_

**_Babushka: They say his royal grandmama_ ** **_  
Will pay a royal sum!_ **

**_All: To someone who can bring the prince back!_ **

After climbing the stairs, the woman noticed someone resting his back against a column.

The figure was tall, bulky, with his arms folded in front of his chest in a relaxed way and head tilted slightly forward that made unreadable his features. He was dressed in a large dark brown coat and wore a darker, almost black, hat.

"Sup, Erwin!" the woman greeted, raising her hand.

The man shifted his gaze toward her, cerulean eyes meeting brown ones. He smiled.

"Hello, Hanji. I can only imagine by your smile that you got what we need."

"Damn right I did!" She grinned proudly "Wasn't easy through. Shall we go?"

_(The two partners walked across the halls that held smaller markets inside, eventually meeting some marketers that were trying to sell 'probable' real belongings of the royal family.)_

**_Black marketer: A gold coin for this painting!_ ** **_  
It's Ackerman, I swear!_ **

**_2 nd Black Marketer: Count Henning’s pajamas!_ ** **_  
Comrade, buy the pair!_ **

**_3 rd Marketer: I got this from the palace_ ** **_  
It's lined with real fur!_ **

**_All:_ **

**_It could be worth a fortune_ ** **_  
If it belonged to him!_ **

_(Erwin and Hanji entered in the backstage, finally able to talk freely now that they were away from unwanted ears.)_

"Guess what, Mr. Handsome? Got us a theater! Everything it's going according to the plan." Hanji chirped.

"Good. All we need now is the boy." Erwin said.

"Can you think of it?!" she beamed. "No more forging papers or stolen goods. We'll have three tickets out of here. One for you, one for me and one for…' _Rivaille_ '." She chuckled while remarking the last name by making the quote marks sign with her fingers.

Erwin grinned as he packed up some belongings in his bag.

**_Erwin: It's the rumor,_** **** __  
The legend,  
The mystery!  
It's the Prince Rivaille who will help us fly!  
You and I friend  
Will go down  
In history!

( _He reached for a picture on the wall, moving aside the frame and revealing a hidden hole behind it. From inside, he took out one of the most important pieces of his plan: A small carillon. He then tucked it out in his coat's pocket.)_

**_We'll find a boy to play the part and teach him what to say,_** **** __  
Dress him up and take him to Maria's!  
Imagine the reward his dear old Grandmama will pay!  
Who else could pull it off but you and me?  
We'll be rich!

**_Hanji: yes we will!_ **

**_Erwin: We'll be out!_ **

**_Hanji: We're getting out!_ **

**_Both: And Sina's city will have some more to talk about!_ **

_(They packed up just the necessary before leaping out their apartment's window, sliding down the icy roof with Erwin holding his hat and Hanji laughing excitedly._

_Down in the streets, people danced around the town's square's fountain.)_

**_SSH!_** **** __  
Have you heard  
There's a rumor in Sina's Capital?  
Have you heard  
What they're saying on the street?  
Hey!  
Hey!  
Hey!

**_Have you heard?_** **** __  
There's a rumor in Sina's Capital!  
Have you heard?  
Comrade, what do you suppose?

( _Erwin and Hanji made their way through the dancing crowd, reaching a departing tram and boarding it just in time.)_

**_A fascinating mystery!_ **

**_Erwin: The biggest con in history!_ **

**_All:_ ** ****__  
The Prince Rivaille  
Alive or dead? 

**_[Random Window Washer]_ **

**_Who knows?_ **

**_Shhh._ **

>\---!---<

Meanwhile…in the outskirts of the city, far off into the woods, a big old house rocked back and forth by the voices and the cries of many children inside.

"We'll miss you, big bro." a tiny voice said.

"Levi!" a girl called out.

"Can't he stay just some longer?" a boy asked.

"No. he's old enough and I'm tired of him. So come on!" an old woman (or a 'witch') shouted as she kicked the front door and walked out in the snow.

After her, looking bored out of his mind, a young man with short black hair and silvery grey eyes walked out with a huff. He carried with him a bag over his left shoulder. He wore a long dark green coat that reached his knees, black pants, fingerless brown gloves and a thorn red scarf around his neck.

"I got you a job in the fish factory. You go straight down this path 'till you get to the fork of the road. Then go left…" the old woman ranted on but stopped as soon she realized the boy just walked past her without muttering so much of a farewell.

She snarled "Are you even listening?!"

"Yeah, old rag. Bye everybody!" The boy waved, simply raising a hand, not bothering to turn around.

The orphanage's children gathered around the windows and front door, bidding their goodbyes to their older 'brother' and wishing him luck.

"Don't ignore me, brat! You've been a pain in my ass since you were brought here, acting as if you owned the place, instead of the nameless no-account you are." the matron ranted as she grabbed Levi's scarf and dragged him off.

"For the last 10 years, I fed you, clothed you, I kept a roof…"

"' _Over my head'_ , I already know the story…" Levi dismissed her, annoyed.

The woman let go of his scarf to open the old, rusty gates and glanced over at the teen.

"How is it you don't have a clue as to who you were before you came to us but you can remember all that?"

Levi didn't know. He couldn't even remember his childhood.

When people tried to ask him his name, he just shrugged.

One day, while reading a book, he came across a name that sparked his interest. _'Levi'_. And so he self-named with it.

"I do have a clue, shitty witch…" Levi scowled at her.

"Ahj! I know." She spat before grabbing Levi's winged necklace, hidden under his scarf, and read.

"' _Together in Maria'_. So you want to go to Maria's Kingdom to find your family huh?" She laughed "Little Mr. Levi, it's time to take your place in life…In life and in line!"

She pushed the teen out the gates and threw his bag on the ground next to him.

"And be grateful too."

With that, the gates slammed shut again, leaving him out.

"Tch. Whatever, you bitch." Levi spat. He picked up his bag and dusted off the snow before he swung it over his left shoulder and walked away.

"Aniki!" Someone shouted from behind him.

He stopped and turned around to see a couple of teens standing at an open window.

One was a girl with teal eyes and red hair, tied up in a pair of short, messy pigtails behind her head.

The other was a tall boy with short, ash blonde hair and clear blue eyes.

"Remember the promise we made, Aniki!" Isabel, the girl, called out with a smile.

"Good luck, Levi! I'll see ya next year!" Farlan, the other teen, saluted with a grin as he raised his thumb in an 'OK'.

Levi looked at his two best friends and gave them a small smile. He nodded, waving his own farewell at them before he walked away as snowflakes fluttered down around him.

After a good while of threading down the path, with the cold breeze and the snow crunching under his boots, he sighed.

"So fucking cold…" he muttered, looking up at the grey sky. It was almost as dark as the day he woke up without any memory of himself, who he was or where the hell he came from.

He only knew that he found himself lying dizzy and injured in the snow. Policemen noticed him wander around all by himself and, after a failed series of question about his identity; he was tagged amnesiac and shipped to the orphanage.

His childhood was a lonely one. His permanent glare would scare away the children more impressionable or he would have to fight and beat up the older kids who dared to pick on him for his short stature and weak appearance.

All except them…

There was only a kid that would approach him; and that had been the caution but ingenious Farlan.

The boy used to live in the streets for a good while before he was caught by the police and sent to the orphanage as well. He had the reputation to be a young, little delinquent downtown; through he only stole what he needed to survive.

His hardship and determination to befriend him had earned Farlan Levi's respect and the two quickly formed a friendship.

They would sneak out at the last expected moment and roam the capital's streets in search of some easy 'job' like pick pocketing and stealing goods that could be useful, not just to them, but for the children in the orphanage too since their situation wasn't any better than theirs.

The two's reputation grew quickly in town. Especially with the Military police; who no matter what they tried, they couldn't apprehend the little scoundrels. Not that the military police was 'this good' of soldiers anyway. With a system so rotten and corrupt like theirs, it did not advantage their physics or intelligence, which made Levi and Farlan's jobs much easier.

Not so long after, the thug Duo had grown into a Trio after they found and rescued a sick child from the streets.

Her name was Isabel. Good-spirited, jolly Isabel.

The tree had been inseparable since then, growing up like siblings, helping and supporting each other without hesitancy. They would stand up to defend one another, with their nails and teeth if necessary.

No one ever wanted to adopt any of them. After the royal family massacre, Sina capital's families could barely afford enough for a decent meal. Raising children was hard.

Besides… why would someone take the pain to raise three little brats after all?

Then, the mayor change in their lives happened when Levi was at least 12 years old.

After a successful day of survival down the streets: He, Farlan and Isabel gathered up on the rooftops of the city on a particularly clear spring night, staring amazed at the many stars.

They would someday get out of the misery they had grown up in and make their way to a better life. They decided, under the starry sky, to make this promise. They would gather up enough money to get out the city and then it would have been just the three of them together, far away from Sina, in a better place to live.

He sighed at the memories, feeling slightly melancholic.

Now he had turned eighteen, he was too old to keep living in the orphanage, and the infamous 'Thug Trio' was no more.

Levi was slightly older than his friends. Farlan was just one or less of a year younger than him while Isabel still had some more time before her.

The only thing he was glad for was that his friends would have a roof on their heads for now; but as soon as they would hit the legal age like he did, the matron would not hesitate to kick them out too.

Levi walked and walked until he reached the fork of the road. A sign clearly pointed the fisherman village to the left, while the other pointed to Sina's Capital on the right.

"As if I would spend my life handling some shitty fish…" he scorned at the sign. He reached out for his necklace under his scarf.

" _Whoever gave me this must have loved me._ " he thought.

"Tch. This is crazy. Where I could even find the money to go anyway? Maria's kingdom is too far to walk there." he growled.

In frustration, he raised his eyes to the sky. "Oi! Can't you give me a sign? A hint?" he shouted, almost as if wanting some kind of mystic power to help him.

And it came at him…sort of...

A small, brown and furry dot dashed toward him and slipped under his legs, knocking him down face-flat in the snow.

"What the actual fuck?!" Levi cursed, trying to get up. Weight crashed on top of his head and forced him down again.

Slowly, he rose up to meet eye to eye with a couple of big, green eyes staring at him.

It was a German shepherd pup with brown fur, pointy ears and black nose. It wore a simple metal plate, tied with a worn string around its neck.

Said pup just stared at him waving its tail happily and its mouth parted in an almost dumb smile, tongue hanging to his side.

"What are you looking at, shitty fleabag?" Levi spat angrily. He knelt on the snow to dust himself off.

The pup just sat and stared at him, cocking its head to the left in curiosity.

"You're lucky I haven't got dirty, brat. Or I would have made rags out of you." He threatened.

Just as the boy was about to pick up his scarf and bag, the pup quickly grabbed the scarf and begun to run around with it.

"Oi! I don't want to play. Give it back!" Levi shouted as chased after the dog.

When the pup seemed to stay put, tail waving, and the boy was about to catch his scarf, the dog would pull away at the last moment and run, leaving a frustrated human flat on his belly on the snow.

"Give it back, you son of a bitch!" the raven yelled.

The dog dashed down the right side of the road but it soon came to a stop when he noticed the funny human wasn't following him anymore. He stilled, confused, until a pair of gloved hands grabbed it by the tail and lifted the pup off the ground.

The upside-down shepherd came face-to-face with an angry, black haired teen. The dog gulped in fear and sweated cold.

"Give. It. Back." Levi hissed as he opened his left hand.

The pup let go of the scarf into the teen's free palm, before getting dropped down in the snow. Half of its body was buried to the waist, leaving tail and hind legs flailing aimlessly in the air.

After fixing back up his scarf with an irritated glare, Levi grabbed his bag and walked down the street mumbling curses when the same dog; snow covered from the nose to the waist, pranced happily around him yapping.

"You again? Don't make me hurt you, brat." He growled.

The puppy just pouted and glared at him. The teen stared back until he sighed and crouched down to pet the dog's head.

"You sure are a stubborn brat, aren't you?"

The doggy yipped as it raised its head and then Levi noticed something written on the plate.

" _Eren_ …" he read "So your name is Eren, uh?"

The dog barked a couple of times. He left the boy's side to run down the road and bark insistently.

"Great…" Levi snorted sardonically. "A shitty dog wants me to go to Sina…"

Eren pouted again and sat down, looking up stubbornly at the raven.

"Fine. You won this round…" the teen gave up.

As he walked after the now overexcited pup that ran circles around him, he hummed a song.

>\---!---<

Later in the day, he was finally there, with Eren still in tow.

The landscape of Sina's capital extended as far as he could see with its gloomy sky and columns of smoke and the tall church that towered over the city.

Levi made his way to the train station, but once he got to the ticket stand, he was promptly rejected for not having any exit visa…and sure, he had very little money to try 'convincing' the ticket sellers.

He would have used his own method (beating them to a pulp) to get what he wanted, but the station was full of soldiers and it wouldn't have been wise to harm a ruckus.

"Tch. Just great…" he growled. "I would need a smuggler to get me out of this place…" he pulled out a piece of bread from his bag and chewed on it when he felt someone tap his shoulder."Ehy. Psst!"

Levi turned to see a young girl with brown eyes and brown hair, tied in a ponytail. She carried under her arm a large worn bag full of food, especially bread and potatoes.

"I heard of your problem…" she whispered "If I can suggest... Go see Erwin. He can help you."

"Where can I find him?" he asked.

"I heard he lives in the old palace of the Ackermans. You can find him here. But you didn't hear it from Me." she made sure to tell him.

"Uh…by the way…are you, y' know…going to finish it?" she asked, pointing at the piece of bread in the teen's hands.

Levi rolled his eyes and produced out some more from his bag. He gave it to the girl, who thanked him over and over again before she frolicked away, giggling happily at her find.

"So…Erwin, uh?" Levi mumbled. "I better go find this guy then…"

>\---!---<

"Nice! Perfect! Superb!" Hanji spewed out compliments, rising with a jolt from her seat.

She turned to face Erwin but her smile quickly dropped when she saw he wasn't convinced. Especially by the fact he had his open palm stamped to his face and was sighing.

The man on stage was being over dramatically reciting the role of the prince. He almost looked more like a Shakespeare's actor and was starting to get annoyed. Nope. Not what they were looking for…

"Ok, thank you. We'll call you later! Next!" Hanji dismissed the actor as she scratched over another name out of the long (very long) list.

A man with grey hair walked on stage, dressed in cheap elegant clothes. He had short hair with the bangs on both sides and wore a cravat around his neck.

"Oh! Grandma, it's me, the lost prince Rivaille." he spoke dramatically.

Erwin rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Oh, man…"

\- A series of embarrassing attempts later…-

"That's it, Erwin. Game over." Hanji said as she crossed her arms behind her head and looked up with a sigh. "Our lasts coins gone for this crappy theater and still no boy to pretend to be Rivaille."

"We'll find him, Hanji." Erwin stated "I can feel that he is somewhere under our nose… After all…" he pulled out the carillon and flipped it in his hand. "One look at this music box and the empress will think we've brought the real Rivaille. By the time she catches on, we'll be off spending the gold."

As they walked through the street, there was a boy and his shepherd pup talking to a man for information.

"I'm looking for the palace, would y-! " he was interrupted when Erwin accidentally bumped on him.

"Oi! Pay attention where you walk, big-ass tree!" the teen hissed.

"Oh, sorry. Haven't seen you there." the blonde apologized.

"Maybe cuz he's short…" Hanji piped in, earning a look and a glare from both men. "What?" She shrugged innocently.

"Sorry, we'll get going." Erwin said as he dragged the woman away with him.

Levi huffed in irritation as he turned again to the man "Is anyone in the palace?"

"No, no. There's no one living there. Go on."

>\---!---<

Levi walked through the hallway to the main door of the abandoned place. The entrance was closed by heavy wooden planks that were slowly rotting away by the rain and moss.

Eren sniffed the ground and then he adventured inside trough a hole in the planks.

"Eren." Levi called out. "Come back here, brat."

He narrowed his eyes trying to spot the pup's figure in the darkness inside, but with the planks covering the light it was nearly impossible to see.

"Oi, Eren, where are you? " the teen asked again.

Realizing that wouldn’t do it, he grabbed the planks and, after a few pulls, managed to rip out a large chunk of wood off.

The sound was quite loud, resonating through the empty halls and alerting two familiar faces who at the moment were busy eating dinner.

"Did you hear something?" Erwin asked, turning his gaze to the direction the sound came from.

Hanji was busy gulping down some vine when she put down the bottle "What sound?" she slurred.

Erwin settled down his glass and walked out to check on it, shortly followed by Hanji with the bottle in her hand.

 

Levi walked in the large rooms, taking a look around him. The place was huge, dark and cold. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling and rocked slightly with the wind that blew from the holes in the broken windows, producing a creaking sound.

"Hello? Anybody home?" he called out. His voice bounced on the walls creating an echo. He continued to climb the stairs, eventually peeking inside a few rooms. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the amount of dust, dirt and cobwebs covering furniture and floors.

"Tch. This place is so filthy…" he muttered as he slid a finger across a table and glared at the layer of dirt on it. He wiped off the dust with a napkin and proceeded to explore.

Eren trotted around the room, hiding under the tables but never going too far from his owner.

The teen blew off the dust on a plate and picked it up. The plain object maintained some of its shine despite the dirt and Levi could see his own reflection in it.

Then something happened. His image shifted to show a tall, dark haired man dressed in a green uniform that was lifting a little boy in his arms while they laughed joyfully.

Just like it appeared, it vanished to show his face again. Levi blinked his eyes in confusion and settled the plate down.

Eren whined as the boy walked away, analyzing his surroundings.

"This place…" Levi muttered as he approached a dusty mirror where a vase of painted swans and bears rested on the table. He ran a hand on the vase as he viewed it interestingly.

"It's…like a memory from a dream." he dusted off the top of the vase with the bear decorations.

Levi then felt an urge. It felt sort of unfamiliar.

Singing was not something special to him, or something he prided himself for. He rarely sung, except when he was young and Isabel and other children couldn't just get to sleep. He made clear that it was nothing he would do. In fact, it was very (VEEERY) rare of him to express in this way.

But now, almost unconsciously, he began to sing.

**_Dancing bears,_** __  
**Painted wings**  
**Things I almost remember.**

_(He made his way to the enormous and empty ballroom of the palace, decorated with large chandeliers attacked to the rooftop and many tall windows on both sides. A royal portrait of the Ackermans stood tall on top of the staircase where Levi was_ _.)_

**_And a song someone sings_ ** **_  
Once upon a December._ **

_(Slowly, he started to sway from side to side in rhythm with his singing, eventually wrapping his arms around himself.)_  
**_Someone holds me safe and warm._** _  
**Horses prance through a silver storm.**_

_(Levi walked to the center of the large red carpet on top of the staircase and removed his worn black gloves, letting them fall to the floor, imagination begun to take over him)_

**_Figures dancing gracefully_ ** _  
**Across my memory...**_

_(Paintings then exploded in dust clouds as ethereal figures in elegant dresses of many colors waltzed their way through the air, slowly landing on the floor of the hall._

_Levi began to ascend the stairs, occasionally meeting two couples of noble looking people. He bowed politely at them as they did the same to greet him._

_The glowing colored figures on the dance floor didn't seem to notice the teen as he reached the end of the staircase and begun to dance as well.)_

**_Someone holds me safe and warm_** _._  
**Horses prance through a silver storm.  
** ( _From the portrait emerged three figures, dresses in majestic garments. The king and queen held hands while their daughter walked at the woman's side._

_Three young ladies greeted the boy merrily as he continued to sing. One of them handed him a long, dark green cape that fell nicely behind his back._

**_Figures dancing gracefully_ ** **_  
Across my memory..._ **

_(Levi spun around, covered in a bright light, and then he was dressed in a white and golden uniform, a navy blue sash across his chest, the green cape on his back, red pants and black elegant shoes._ )

**_Far away, long ago_** __  
**Glowing dim as an ember**  
**Things my heart**  
**Used to know**  
**Things it yearns to remember**...

_(The royal family walked through the hall and the guests bowed respectfully at their sight. Levi found himself facing a woman with long black hair and grey eyes, pretty similar to his. The woman was older than him, slightly shorter, dressed in a long blue silk dress and a shining silver tiara on her head._

_Levi bowed politely to her, before they intertwined hands and begun a slow dance.)_

**_And a song…_ ** _  
**Someone sings…**_

_(The woman placed a soft, motherly caress on the teen's cheek and Levi closed his eyes for a moment, leaning in the soft touch, before they let go._

_They bowed to each other gracefully_ _and the figures vanished. The last one being the queen.)_

**_Once upon a December…_ **

 

"HEY!" someone shouted from behind him, startling the boy. "What are you doing here?"

Levi bolted up on his feet and frowned at the two people standing on the stairs by the other side of the ballroom. One was a tall blonde man and the other was a woman with brown hair.

The teen ran back to the staircase he was standing previously and the two strangers rushed down to chase him.

"Hey. Stop." the man called out. "Hold on a minute." the blonde reached the end of the staircase, but Levi was already on top.

"What?" he growled as he looked down at the blonde.

Eren barked at the man, baring his teeth and narrowing his eyes.

"Now, how did you get in…" the man stopped as something caught his interest, eyes wide.

Levi stood in front of the large royal portrait, the picture of Prince Rivaille just on his right. He didn't seem to notice that detail as he glared at the fazed blonde.

"Hello? Earth-to-big ass tree…anyone copy?" Levi spat.

Eren approached the tall man, sniffing him slightly before sitting on his rump, still growling.

The woman shortly reached them, panting tiredly. "Sorry, kid, we…" she begun but soon her eyes widened as well "Erwin, do you see what I see?" she asked, fixing her glasses and smiling.

"Yes I do." the blonde replied with a smirk as he made his way up the staircase.

"Uh, a dog!" the woman squealed as she bent down to pick Eren up.

"Are you Erwin?" the boy asked arching an eyebrow, staring down at the two.

"Perhaps."  Erwin said as he reached the top of the stair and looked at the smaller man "Depends on who's looking for him."

The teen crossed his arms over his chest as he looked up at the man.

"I'm Levi. I need travel papers." He explained. "A little bird told me you're the right man for the job."

Erwin said noting. He began to circle the smaller man, viewing him with interest from head to toe.

Levi, by his hand, never stopped to glare at the man and scowled.

"Stop circling me with that shit-eating grin, you creep. What are you, a vulture? "

The blonde stopped and raised his hands in defense; through he didn't seem frightened at all and rather looked pretty amused.

"I'm so-sorry, Lenny."

"Levi."

"Levi, right. Sorry. It's just that you look a lot like…" Erwin begun but he quickly dropped the subject. "Never mind."

Levi scoffed.

"To begin with… Yes. I'm Erwin Smith." the blonde said. He pointed to the woman that just joined them; a frightened Eren still in her arms as she swooned at him. "She's my partner, Hanji Zoe."

"Nice to meet ya!" the woman smiled.

Eren seemed to try and crawl away from Hanji's crushing hug with little success.

"Now…you said something about travel papers." Erwin continued.

"Yeah. I'd like to go to Maria's kingdom." Levi clarified.

"Maria Kingdom? " Hanji piped in "Why?"

"Heard the place was perfect to take a shit… It's to get out this hell, four-eyes, what else?!" Levi replied.

"What can I say? Just curious." the woman shrugged, unfazed by the boy's insults and proceeded to pet the pup in her arms.

"Now let me ask you something, Levi." Erwin said. "There's a last name that goes with that?"

The teen just shook his head. "I don't have a last name. I was found wandering around the streets when I was eight. Don't remember anything before that."

"I see." Erwin hummed, a plan slowly formulated in his mind.

"I do have one clue through. And that's Maria's reign."

"Really?" the blonde said with interest.

"So, can you two help me or not?" Levi asked.

Erwin and Hanji exchanged looks and she nodded.

After settling down the almost asphyxiated Eren she fished for something in her jacket's inner pockets. The pup wobbled a little before he collapsed on the carpet with a relieved sigh.

"We'd like to help you. In fact, oddly enough, we're going to Maria's Kingdom ourselves." The blonde explained.

"Voilá!" Hanji beamed, pulling out three tickets from her pocket and handing them to Erwin "Three tickets for Maria's Kingdom coming up!"

Levi reached out for one when the tall blonde retracted his hand.

"Unfortunately, the third one is for him, Rivaille." The man pointed to the figure on the portrait. "We are going to reunite the Grand Duke Rivaille with his grandmother."

"And you do kind of resemble him." Hanji added.

"Uh? " Levi frowned.

"Why not?" she shrugged and counted on her fingers. "You got the same grey eye, same hair color, same age…and both of you looks like you have a pole shoved up your asses."

"Wait, hold your horses." Levi cut short. "Are you two shitheads thinking that I am Rivaille?"

"What we are trying to say..." Erwin begun "Is that we've seen thousands of boys all over the country and no one of them looks as much like the grand duke as you. Just look at the portrait."

The teen scoffed. "Tch. I knew you were crazy from the start, but now I think you got way too much vine."

Hanji, behind them, was gulping some more nectar from her bottle before she noticed Levi pointing at her with his thumb. She quickly let go of the drink with a slight *hic!* escaping her.

"Why? You don't remember what happened to you." Erwin replied, calm as ever.

"No one knows what happened to him... *hic!*" Hanji added.

"You're looking for something, maybe family, in Maria's kingdom."

"And his only family is right there."

Erwin put a hand on Levi's shoulder, guiding him toward the portrait again so the both of them could see. "You ever thought about the possibility?"

"Riiight…" Levi rolled his eyes. "Me? Royalty?! Look, don't you have any idea how royal people is? I see hard to think of yourself as a duke when you sleep in a dirty room on a damp floor…Royalty is not patient with strangers and I would like to keep my head on my shoulders; you know?"

And then, how could he keep his promise to Isabel and Farlan if he got executed?

"The answer is 'Forget it'." he said as he put his gloves back on and walked off the stairs. "Let's go, Eren."

The conning couple saw as the teen and his dog walked off until the blonde grinned.

"Very well…" Erwin said "But I hardly believe someone would offer an opportunity like this to the Thug Trio's leader."

Levi froze on spot.

"What?!"

"I heard about you from some other thugs before, through I never heard of your name. You are smart, agile and deadly, but not even you can do everything alone. No one in town would actually offer any help if they'd know who you are." Erwin smiled in knowledge, stepping up to the small teen.

"I am offering you the chance to get to Maria's kingdom like you want and find the family I suppose you never had. After all, as a prince, you could get anything you wanted, am I wrong?"

_"That bastard"_ Levi hissed angrily.

Eren, next to him, growled threatening, sensing his master's stress.

"All I ask of you is your cooperation and your complete trust." the blonde stated.

"Ah! As if I could. I don't even know you." the boy sneered, looking over his shoulder.

The raven has never been someone to trust people. To him: Trust was earned, not given out of the blue. This guy was playing dangerously with fire, let alone when said fire was Levi.

"Maybe…but if I was you, I would think about it carefully." Erwin countered with a sly smile.

Heavy silence fell on the room and tension was thin enough it could be cut with a knife.

"Seems like you're not interested. Oh, well. It was worth a try." Erwin said before walking away with Hanji. "Good luck, Levi."

Eren approached his owner with a worried face, not sure how he could help his friend. The boy said nothing, eyes shadowed by the bangs and fists clenched tight on both his sides. He didn't move or turn, until…

"Wait…"

Erwin stopped and grinned with satisfaction.

_"Right in our hands"._

He turned his gaze around slightly to see the young teen in the same place, trembling slightly in contained anger.

"Fine. I'm in." the boy hissed through gritted teeth as he stormed his way up to the tall blonde and glared up to him, stormy grey piercing into cerulean blue.

"But as soon as this shit is over, I'm out. Got it?"

The man nodded "Got it. Welcome to the team, Levi." the older man smirked, extending his arm. "Or should I say: Gran Duke Rivaille?"

Levi growled and swatted his hand away before storming past the two, muttering strings of curses under his breath.

"Y' know…" Hanji poked at Erwin's shoulder. "Sometimes you can be a real dick." she said with a knowing smile.

Erwin just chuckled at his friend's antics.

"Why didn't you tell him about our plan?" she asked.

"He just wants to get to Maria's Kingdom." Erwin said "I don't see any need to give away a third of the reward."

"Ooh, right." Hanji giggled before hiccupping again.

This time, Erwin grabbed the vine bottle from her hand.

"I think you've got enough of this for today." He stated before walking off.

"C'moon, Erwiiin~ " Hanji whined as she clung to the taller man's waist, ending up dragged off too.

As the three moved out, a small white bat was perched on the rooftop, spying on the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes: Fixed grammar, new changes here and there, not so much different but still...  
> I changed the - sign of speeches for "" under request of queenofcats :)
> 
> There's a game of 'Find Waldo'. You'll get a cookie for each AoT character you can find in the story. there are 2 hidden characters here, do you know who they are???
> 
> Also, Alive! Isabel and Farlanfor the fans' joy.
> 
> See you in the next chapter!


	3. In the Dark of the Night

**Ch 3: In the Dark of the Night**

_As the three moved out to get ready, a small white bat was perched on the rooftop and spying on the group…_

"Rivaille?" the bat repeated in disbelief. "B-but Rivaille is dead."

As he talked to himself, he didn't notice the green glowing relic behind him trembling slightly, rising an eerie wind that moved the cobwebs around them.

"All the Ackermans are dead. They're dead. Damn dead." the bat repeated to convince himself.

The skull opened and a small green demon made of fog crawled out, hissing lowly as it flanked the bat.

"Am I right, my friend? I mean, how could that be Riv-?!" he paled when he saw the demon next to him.

"EEK!" he cried out as the monster spread its wings and hissed at his face.

More demons crawled out, startling the bat and causing him to fall off the roof. He saved himself by grasping the edge with his paws and dangle upside-down.

"Oh, come on! Am I supposed to believe that thing woke up after all these years just because some guy claimed to be an Ackerman?" He whined as he climbed back up.

The small demons hissed threateningly at him.

"Okay, okay, I get the message. Enough already with the glowing and the smoke monsters!" he groaned, raising his paws in defense. He sat down to think "Uhm…if this thing is awake…it must mean Rivaille's alive!"

Below of him, the trio went to pack up the needed and chatted some more about the next course of action.

"Let's go get our stuff. We got a train to catch, right away!" Hanji below announced excitedly.

"Whatever, shitty glasses…" Levi frowned.

The bat looked at the three humans and the dog as they left the ballroom and disappeared from his view inside another room.

The glowing tube shook and begun to float in mid air, scaring the bat out of his wits. In panic, he didn't realize his foot got caught in the tube's string and he was pulled off the ground as well.

"Woah! Mayday, mayday!" he shrieked and then the relic rocketed away, dragging the frightened bat behind it.

It flew into the icy lake waters and down, deeper into a green glowing hole, darting straight inside through an invisible cape of oil that separated the water from a dry underground tunnel below.

"Aaah, heeelp!". The bat cried out.

With each turn of the tunnel, the bat would splat against the walls over and over again. They crossed over a lake of boiling lava, causing the bat's ass to lit on fire.

"Hot, hot, it's hot!"

The tube darted through a cobweb of blue slime that attached on the poor animal's fur and then they shot into an endless dark space with big floating spheres of dirt and unrecognizable plants and skulls.

The relic flew towards one of them and stopped by jabbing into a table of solid rock, causing also the bat to splat his face against it with a loud crack.

"…Ouch…" he groaned. He set his paws on the rock and tried to pull himself free until he managed to pop his face out of the gap. "Boy…what a flight…" he moaned, rubbing his head.

"WHO DARES INTRUDE ON MY SOLITUDE?!" a booming voice bellowed, causing the bat to gasp and hide behind the relic, trembling in fear.

A man in a dark cloak, with long beard and rounded glasses, appeared from behind a pillar, yellow eyes blazing. He was so mad that he kicked the pillar, breaking it to rubble.

"Get out! Out I said!" he shouted and grabbed the small bat, squeezing it.

"Agh! M-massterr…! Can't…breathe!" the bat wheezed.

The wizard's eyes widen in surprise as he loosen the grip on the critter. It let out a gasp of relief.

"Bertolt? Is that you?" the man asked as he settled the bat down on the table.

"Master? You're alive?" Bertolt asked.

"Yes, in a manner of speaking." Zeke spat. Doing so, an eyeball rolled out his socket and ended up in the bats' hands.

Startled and overall disgusted, he let go of it and it bounced on the floor like a ball.

"Uh, uhm… that fell…right out there, sir…" Bert pointed out, trying to mask his disgust.

"Something happened." the wizard growled as he set his eyeball back in. "I knew it…I could feel the dark forces stirring!"

Bertolt gulped and swayed nervously on spot. "W-well. If I may say…I think I saw him, that Rivaille." He confessed, scratching his head.

The madman slammed his fists next to the bat, causing the rock to rattle.

"Rivaille? Alive?!" Zeke roared. His mouth suddenly falls off and slid down to his beard.

The bat fought the urge to feel sick "Uh…Sir, your lips are…a little 'out of place'."

"That Ackerman brat…" Zeke hissed, ignoring him.

"I guess the curse did not work as much as we thought, sir…" Bertolt said meekly, putting the fallen mouth back into place.

"THAT'S why I'm stuck here in Limbo!" the man growled "My curse is unfulfilled!" he threw his hands open to his sides; his left one broke off from the wrist and slammed into Bertolt's guts.

"Oof!" the bat wheezed as the wind got knocked out of him. He could have sworn he saw stars dance around his head.

Zeke gasped in horror at his empty wrist and bemoaned, slumping dramatically on a rocky couch.

"Look at me! I'm falling apart…I'm a wreck!" he groaned.

"But…considering how long you've been dead, you look pretty good." Bertolt smiled in reassurance, trying to cheer up his master as he settled the hand back on its wrist.

"Really?" the man blinked hopefully.

"Sir, is this the face of a bat who would lie to you?" Bert asked with a smile. "Just a minute there you had your old spark back."

The wizard then growled as his sadness turned into frustration. "If only I hadn't lost the gift from the dark forces…they key to my powers."

"Uh, you mean that reliquary?" the bat asked as he pointed to the still jabbed tube.

The wizard's eyes widen in surprise and gasped "Where did you get that?"

"Uh, I found it when…"

"Give it to me!" the man grabbed the tube and held it avidly in his hands.

"Alright, alright! No need to get grabby." Bertolt winced at the thought to get squeezed like a squeaky toy again.

"My old friend, together again." the man cooed at the artifact and laughed. "Now my dark purpose will be fulfilled and the last of the Ackermans will die!"

Green lightning and thunders erupted from the object as the mad wizard laughed in triumph. Insects, rats and other unholy creatures crawled out of their holes as Zeke begun to say…

**_In the dark of the night I was tossing and turning_ ** **_  
And the nightmare I had was as bad as can be._ **

_(_ _The bugs crowded around the wizard, lifting him off the ground. Then they let him go by accident, causing his body to crash on the rock and separate in a mix of limbs and bones; head rolling off.)_

**_It scared me out of my wits_ ** **_  
A corpse falling to bits!_ **

**_Then I opened my eyes_ ** **_  
and the nightmare was...me!!_ **

_(He pulled himself back together and the bugs begun to dance around him.)_

**_I was once the most mystical man in all Sina._ **

**_When the royals betrayed me they made a mistake!_ **

_(Green smoke leaked out the tube, forming a round, floating mirror with a portrait of the royal family. He slammed his fist on the mirror, causing it to break into pieces.)_

**_My curse made each of them pay_ ** **_  
But ONE little boy got away!_ **

_(A picture of a young Rivaille remained intact between the destroyed pieces and Zeke viewed it with rage.)_

**Little Levi, beware,** **  
Zeke's awake!**

_(He gloated as he stomped the remaining piece, pulverizing it._ _  
Creatures of darkness and bugs grouped around as they sun in chorus with their master)_

**_In the dark of the night evil will find him!_ ** **_  
In the dark of the night just before dawn!_ **

**_Zeke: Revenge will be sweet_ **

**_All: When the curse is complete!_ ** **_  
In the dark of the night_ **

**_Zeke: He'll be gone!_ **

_(The bugs continued dancing, eventually dragging and unwilling Bertolt with them.)_

_Bert: oh, ehy, guys…_

**_I can feel that my powers are slowly returning!_ ** **_  
Tie my sash and a dash of cologne for that smell!_ **

_(The bugs ran to prep perfume and handed their master a blue sash. The madman stood in front of his lair's mirror, where instead of his reflection there was a shorter and younger one of Levi, dressed in his royal uniform and putting up the sash.)_

**_As the pieces fall into place_ ** **_  
I'll see him crawl into place!_ **

_(He turned away from the reflection and ripped the sash off of him before tossing it to the ground like an old rag._ _He descended the stair leading to the insides of the sphere, followed by his procession of insects)_

**_Say goodnight, Levi, Your Grace!_ ** **_  
Farewell..._ **

**[All]**  
**_In the dark of the night terror will strike him!_**

**_Zeke: Terror's the least I can do!_ **

**_In the dark of the night evil will brew._ ** **_  
Ooh!_ **

**Zeke: _Soon he will feel_**

**_All: That his nightmares are real!_ **

**_(In the dark of the night)_ **

**Zeke: _He'll be through!_**

**_In the dark of the night_** **** __  
Evil will find him  
(Find him!)  
Ooh!  
In the dark of the night terror comes true.  
(Doom him!)

**Zeke: _My boy, here's a sign_**

**[All]**

**_It's the end of the line!_ ** ****_  
In the dark of the night...  
In the dark of the night..._

_(Down in the deeps of his prison, the wizard jabbed the artifact on a pedestal. Flares shot out of the skull and a swarm of demons sparked out into a large spiral of green fog around the room.)_

**_Zeke: Come my minions,_ ** ****_  
Rise for your master,  
Let your evil shine!_

**_In the dark of the night..._ ** **_  
In the dark of the night..._ **

_(The demons flew their the way up the stairs; Bertolt and the rest of the bugs ran around in panic as they were chased by some of the demons, like cats chasing after mice._

_Bertolt yelped and ducked as a demon flew over his head, nearly piercing him with its sharp talons.)_

**_Find him now,_ ** **_  
Yes, fly ever faster_ **

**[All]** __  
In the dark of the night...  
In the dark of the night...  
In the dark of the night...

**Zeke: _He'll be mine!_**

And with the last line, the madman burst into a blood-curling cackle as the demons disappeared in the dark.  
>\---!---<

"Circus Train tickets…Why am I not impressed?" Levi muttered with arms crossed.

Hanji was sitting on the opposite sofa of their cabin, holding a passport as she filled them with the information they needed. Eren was sleeping next to her portable writing kit that contained a small stack of papers and a bottle of blue ink.

She smirked and tickled the pup's nose with the pen's feather, causing Eren to giggle in his sleep before sneezing.

"Eheh, sorry."  she apologized.

Erwin had just finished setting the bags on the shelves above their seats. Levi insisted to keep his bag next to him, through he put it clear that it was NOT because he couldn't reach said shelves himself, much unlike Hanji's version of the facts.

The blonde was about to sit where Eren was, but the pup growled at him, causing him to stand up again.

"So the mutt get's the window seat, uh?" he joked.

Levi snorted "Told you."

Erwin dismissed him and sat next to Levi, much to the teen's annoyance. He reached for under his scarf to pick his winged necklace.

"You could sit straight at least. Remember, you're a Duke." the blonde admonished him.

"Tch, how is that you know what nobles do or don't do?" Levi countered, still looking at his necklace.

"I make it my business to know." The man answered with a smirk.

Levi rolled his eyes and stared out at the moving landscape out of the window.

Erwin sighed "Look, Levi. I'm just trying to help, alright?"

"Sure, because blackmail sure is helpful…"

Hanji lowered a little her passport and sighed before burying her nose back in it again.

"Oi, do you really think I am royalty?" the boy asked.

Erwin shrugged "Why not? Sounds convincing."

"Then quit bossing me around." Levi replied before slumping back on the seat, stubbornly staring out the window.

Erwin sighed and rubbed his eyes in exasperation.

"Well, he sure doesn't take shit from anyone." Hanji giggled.

"Yeah…we will have to work hard on this kid's manners later." Erwin chuckled, earning a death glare from Levi.

Hanji pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket where the names of Erwin and Levi were written. Under the blonde man's name there were three lines, while under the boy's there were at least 26, then Hanji added a new score for the teen.

>\---!---<

The train proceeded over the rails without any problem. Levi leaned against the window, reading a book while Hanji was out in the nearby restaurant cart to get a snack for herself and Eren.

The cabin's door slid open and Erwin cleared his throat as he closed it again and sat on the seat opposite to the raven’s. Levi didn't bother a glance and preferred to just ignore him.

"I do believe we got off on the wrong foot." the blonde begun.

The boy said nothing nor looked up at him.

"I was saying…"

"Yeah-yeah. Apology accepted. Now shut it, this is the best part." Levi replied, waving his hand dismissively.

"We didn't talk about any apology. But I'll be quiet if you will decide to cooperate just for once." Erwin replied.

Man, if this boy could pick on his nerves sometimes. It seemed as if he was talking with some hissing, black stray cat.

"What if I shut you up manually?" the teen spat back.

"You can try, but I think it wouldn't be a wise decision taking on someone twice your size."

"Wanna bet, big-ass tree?" Levi hissed, lowering the book and glaring at the blonde.

\---Meanwhile…---

Eren sat next to Hanji, who stuffed canapés in her mouth and plate, sometimes throwing him a snack here and there.

Suddenly; thuds, crashes and muffled screams could be heard from their cabin, causing Eren's ears to perk up and his heart to skip a beat.

He looked up at Hanji quizzically when the goggled woman just smiled at him and patted his head.

"Oh, don't worry." she reassured. "They're fine. They're just…'Settling down' differences. That's all."

"Oh, and…by the way, Eren, be a dear and remember me to get a first aid kit before getting back there, can you?" she winked at him before stuffing more goods in her mouth again.

The dog frowned but stood there anyway. He didn't want to think about what was going on in there…

\---Later…---

"Now, listen. _*pant*…_ We’ll have no more of this again, understood?" Erwin hissed.

"Okay, Okay, fine! I get it! Now get off of me, you bastard!" Levi's shouted furiously, through his yelling was muffled by the seat's cushion.

Erwin had a firm grip on the raven boy's arm, twisted behind the teen's back, while he held the boy face-down by pressing the back of his neck into the seats.

The blonde didn't have any fun time either. His face was bruised, with a black eye, a broken nose and many cuts on his arms.

A small, handy knife was abandoned on the floor. Erwin already predicted the boy to carry some weapon with him.

To be small, Levi was far from weak.

The man slowly let go of him, but first picked up the knife to keep away. Levi rose from his position and gruffly sat back next to the window.

Unlike the blonde, he didn't have any particular bruise except for the hand marks on his right wrist and back of the neck where the man grabbed him.

"Glad to know we have settled this down." Erwin said.

Levi didn’t spoke, just sending death glares at him before looking out the window again.

They remained in complete silence, disturbed only by the train noises for some time until the teen sighed.

"You think you're gonna miss this place?"

The blonde arched an eyebrow. "Miss what?"

"Sina."

He remained silent for a moment before he shook his head.

"I think not."

"But it was your home, doesn't it?" Levi asked.

"I once lived there. I rather not going into details." the man cut short.

"So you want to live in Maria's Kingdom then…"

"Maybe." The blonde cut him short "What about you?"

Levi rested his back on the backset. "Searching for something…through…"

Hanji opened the door, carrying a first aid kit under her arm. "Hi, guys. Happy to see you still in one piece! I'm glad that you two made peace at last."

"In your dreams, shitty glasses." The teen growled.

Hanji said nothing as she forced Erwin to sit down and proceed to medicate cuts and bruises. Eren jumped on the seat next to Levi and the teen petted the dog's head.

"Don't worry, just a nice talk." he reassured the worried pup. "I'll go for a walk."

Levi got up and walked out the cabin, leaving Hanji and Erwin by themselves.

"Oh~ho!" she grinned at the blonde "An unspoken attraction!"

"To the skinny little brat? Suure." Erwin rolled his eyes.

"Just saying." the woman replied with an 'innocent' grin. "I do believe he had a nice, firm, lil' ass to grab and squeeze. Not to mention his pretty ballerina legs ~"

The blonde just ignored her and rubbed his eyes in frustration "How can we get him to cooperate? He just won't listen…"

"He will come around eventually, don't worry."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I used to live with the likes of him…acting all tough and stuff…" Hanji said as she bandaged Erwin's cuts on his arm. "He will come around the situation. After all…trust is earned, not given."

Unknown to them, Levi was just outside the door, haven't gone so far than two steps. He sighed as he ran a hand trough his dark locks.

"Isabel, Farlan…what did I just got myself into?"

>\---!---<

The sun was slowly sinking behind the snowy mountains, painting red and orange the sky. The train continued its course peacefully, until a trail of green little demons flew out the woods and chased after it.

Some of them crawled their way down the chimney, causing the furnace in the engine to overheat.

Meanwhile, in the passengers' cabinets, Hanji was walking through the halls with her passport in hand when she noticed a couple of travelers comparing their passport books.

"Hey, last month the traveling papers were blue, but now they are red." the man said to the woman next to him.

Hanji smiled as she checked her passport. She then gasped in shock. Quickly hiding the book in her jacket, the woman rushed back to her cabin before the controller could see her.

Inside the room, Erwin was reading a book while Levi was fast asleep on his seat, resting his head on his scarf on the armrest and covered in his large coat as a blanket. Eren rested at his side, tucked under the hanging sleeve.

Noticing the door hastily slide open and closed, the blonde settled down the book and looked up at his partner. "Hanji, what's wrong?"

"It's what I hate about the government." she said and showed her passport to him "Everything's in red."

"Red?!" the man gasped.

She nodded. "We better move to the baggage car and fast, before the guards come."

"It won't work. We should better get off the train." Erwin said as he handed Hanji her bag.

As they quickly took their belongings, a little green flare flew next their car's window. Eren, now pulled out of his sleep, noticed the strange light outside and barked angrily at it.

He saw a group of little flying creatures with bath wings and lion tails. They snickered before one of them flew in front of his face, startling the pup with a hideous grin.

The shepherd, snapping out his shock, growled and barked even louder, pawning at the window's glass in an attempt to attack.

The whole ruckus woke up Levi.

"Oi, what's the fuck…" he muttered as he rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"Levi, we have to go, now." Erwin said as he grabbed the teen by the arm and forced him to stand.

"Slow down, eyebrows. What's the rush? Where are we going?" the boy frowned.

"No time to explain. Grab your bag ad follow Me." the man cut him short.

Levi muttered something under his breath but obeyed. He flung his coat back up, grabbed his bag and followed Hanji and Erwin into the baggage car with Eren trailing behind them.

"Maybe this could do it." the woman said as she settled down her luggage.

"At least until we reach the next station." The blonde added, also dropping his bag.

Levi entered the last and closed the car's door behind him. The baggage wagon was freezing cold compared to the passengers' ones.

"I take that the government just came to bite us in the ass, uh?" he said sarcastically.

"It's their own safety's norm." Hanji said apologetic "I thought the passport wouldn't change so much…"

Eren trotted up to the door leading to the front car, but as soon he noticed a green light coming from under the door he glared and begun to bark and paw at the door.

Outside, the demons flew under the train's body, snickering evilly as they reached for the drawbars connecting the passenger wagon to the luggage one and blew them up.

The explosions busted open the door, causing the three companions to stumble down on the floor while the head of the train and their car gained speed.

"What was that?!" Hanji shouted.

"I don't know!" Levi replied.

With a quick glance behind them, they saw the body of the train getting further and further away from them.

"Aww, here goes the dining car…" Hanji bemoaned.

Eren continued to bark and scratch furiously at the door, through the previous green glow was replaced by a fiery orange one.

Levi rushed to the peephole of the door and saw sparks and flames bursting out the chimney from behind the coal car.

"Uh, Erwin…someone has flambéed the engine!"

The man then removed his coat and climbed up the stepladder.

"Stay here you two, I'll check it out." he ordered.

The blonde walked over the rooftops of the car, careful not to fall off, until he reached the engine. It was boiling hot and spewing sparks of incandescent carbon. Vapor fizzled out the tubes and there was nobody at the drive.

He then noticed a corpse of what had to be the engineer sprawled on the floor.

"D _amnit._ " he cursed. He reached for the now crazed thermostat, but it quickly blew up spewing glass shards in the air and flames flooded out the furnace, licking dangerously at his feet.

"We're going too fast!" Levi shouted to Hanji, his voice was barely audible over the roaring wind. The woman was worried for their friend until Erwin got back to them with a serious expression.

"The engineer is dead and the train is going to explode. We have to jump out."

The blonde reached for the loading door and opened it, the shrunken landscape of the forest speeding fast below them as they crossed over a bridge.

"Are you insane?!" Hanji shouted.

"We could uncouple the cars." Levi suggested.

"Vote for Shorty's idea!" the woman raised her hand. Eren raised his paw as well.

Unknown to them, the demons were sticking under their car and listened to their plan. They quickly reached for the drawbars and overheated them, casing the disjoint to break and melt down.

Erwin leaped on the drawbars; only to find them melted together.

"Give me an axe, a wrench, anything." he ordered.

"Here!" Hanji said, passing him a small, handy hammer. With an exasperate eye roll, Erwin begun to hit the metal.

Eren barked at Levi, hopping on top of a tall box.

"What is it?" the boy asked and noticed the pup pawning at the writing on the box.

 _'Explosives'_.

Erwin kept beating the metal but the handle of the hammer broke off.

"It doesn't work!" he growled in frustration as he threw away the now useless tool "We need something better than this."

Levi handed him a dynamite candle already lit up.

"…That will work." the blonde said as he jabbed the explosive between the drawbars and rushed inside. The three quickly ran for cover behind a tall pile of luggage.

"What did they teach you in the orphanage?" Hanji asked to Levi.

"You better don't know." he cut her short.

He really didn't want to speak about Isabel's failed baking attempt…

The dynamite blew up, parting both wagons and letting the engine wander forward.

Seeing this, the demons flew down for the next bridge that ran across a deep canyon between the mountains.

"The brakes are out!" Hanji shouted as she tried hard to pull the wheel.

"Turn harder!" Erwin replied as he and Levi tried to extinguish the flames that reached their cart by beating them out with their coats.

Hanji tried harder, but the wheel of the brake snapped off.

"Whoops…" she looked at it, both embarrassed and worried. "Oh, well… We still have plenty of tracks. We'll be just a coast to a stop." she shrugged as she tossed the wheel over her shoulder.

A sudden earthquake rocked the rails, causing the three to stumble down once again.

Down at the canyon, the demons had conglomerated into a giant version of themselves. Raising its wings, the monster broke the bridge in half before it dissipated in a cloud of green smoke.

By the time Erwin, Levi and Hanji got back up; they stared in horror at the now destroyed bridge falling to pieces.

"You were saying, four-eyes?" Levi asked.

Erwin looked around for a solution that could help them stop their car until Hanji spotted a roll of heavy chains laying on the floor.

"We can use this!" She said gleefully. "Give me a hand, boys!"

They pushed the heavy chain until they reached the back of the car "Ok. Now I need to anchor this under the drawbar. We need to…"

Without a word, Levi stepped forward, grabbed the chain from Hanji's hand and skillfully reached down for the lower part of the drawbars. He was small and nimble, so he didn't have any problem to find the right spot to anchor the chain.

"Done!"  

A metal board from under the car broke off and it almost hit him, but Levi dodged it at the last moment and lost his balance. Someone then grabbed his wrist and helped him climb back up. When he got up, he saw Erwin. They looked as the board dashed off until it chopped down a small tree on the side of the rails.

"And to think that could have been you." the blonde mused.

"Fuck off..." the raven replied.

The carts raced down the mountain side, dangerously dashing to their fall.

"Here goes nothing." Hanji stated "Brace yourselves!"

Pushing the heavy chain off their cart, the three saw it extending wide as it anchored to the rails, but the cart's weight and speed caused them to break and deform easily.

The car rocked dangerously as the back wheels broke off from the body and the wagon steered dangerously to proceed its fall sideways with a loud screech.

The three gathered up their bags and reached for the busted side of the cart that faced the snow side of the mountain.

"Well, this is our stop." the teen said, with Eren perched on his shoulder.

With a war-cry, Hanji, Levi and Erwin jumped off and landed on the cold but soft snow with a few rolls.

The engine rushed to the end of the rail and plummeted down the canyon, followed by the other cart.

The impact caused them to explode in a giant column of smoke and flames that echoed across the canyon.

Levi and the others popped out the snow, staring at the pillars of smoke rising from the doomed wagons before climbing out and dust themselves off.

"I hate trains…" Hanji mumbled and pointed at herself with her thumb. "Next time, I'll drive. Got it?"

This caused Levi, Eren and Erwin to sigh and nod in approval.

They didn't liked trains anymore.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter :) again, fixed grammar and updated. bye!


	4. If I can learn to do it...

**Chapter 4: If I Can Learn to Do It…**

Kemono bellowed furiously, grabbing his neck and beard and howling like crazy.

The wizard was furious with his failed attempt to end the prince’s life. In his rage, he swatted away a skull that was resting on the rocky table, causing it to smash on the wall and break into pieces.

Through a mirror formed by green smoke, Levi, Hanji and Erwin's figures rose up from the ground after they had jumped off the doomed train.

Bertolt just stared meekly at his master in rage fit mode and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh, sir…I think you should take it easy." the bat said, trying to calm down his master without being victim of his rage.

"You should watch your blood pressure. My cousin Berik, for example…"

"How could they let him escape?!" Kemono roared, smashing his fist on the rock table and causing his thumb to pop out. The disgusted bat hurried to pick it up and settle it back on the wizard's hand.

"I do understand that can be upsetting, sir. Maybe the reliquary's broken." Bertolt said as he rested his back on the tube. It caused it to topple over and fall.

"Yikes!" the man gasped and his wrist stretched out from bone to flesh and veins. He managed to catch the artifact before it could break and his arm retracted back to normal again.

"You idiot! You almost broke it!" the wizard hissed to his assistant.

"N-now now, remember about the stress and plzdon'thurtme…" the bat pleaded as he broke in cold sweat.

"I sold my soul for this." Kemono growled, grabbing Bertolt with his free hand "My life, my very existence depends on it and you, almost, destroyed it!" He slammed the bat's face against the tube's glass.

"I get it, I get it. You break it, you bought it!" Bertolt said quickly.

"See that you remember, you miserable sweaty rodent." he spat before tossing the critter over his shoulder.

"M-maybe I could do the job for you sir and…get that Rivaille guy." the bat said.

Kemono arched an eyebrow.

"I would give him a HA! (Threw a punch to the air)…then a Ah-Ya! (a karate move) and then a Ehy-Wa-tá! (Mixed moves) and then I'd kick him, sir." Bertolt concluded shyly.

Rasputin just grinned. "Oh, I have something else in mind. Something more enticing. Something really cruel." he smiled viciously as he ran a clawed finger across the glass of the relic, producing a screeching sound.

>\---!---<

"How are going to Maria's, now? Walking?" Levi asked sarcastically.

"We'll be boarding a boat in Rose." Erwin replied.

"So we'll be walking to Rose."

"No, your ‘grace’." the blonde rolled his eyes "We'll be taking a bus."

"Well, that's nice." the raven said.

Rose kingdom territories had a much warmer weather compared to Sina's freezing one. Finally able to discard their heavy clothes, the three were dressed in their shirts, light jackets and short pants.

Hanji wore a simple brown vest over her green-yellow shirt and light brown pants with brown boots. Erwin had a white button shirt and brown pants with black shoes.

Levi instead sported a dark brown vest over a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and large-end grey pants and brown boots.

They walked on feet a long way before taking a break in a large pines’ forest.

"Moblit, my dear! Hanji's on the way!" the woman sing-soed out to the open while they rested at a small bridge over a quiet river in the middle of the woods.

"Who is Moblit?" Levi asked.

"Who is Moblit?" Erwin repeated.

"Oh, he's an old friend of mine. We studied medicine together. He moved out a few years before. He's so sweet and funny and feels like a chocolate cream puff after a long walk in the snow!" Hanji chanted lovely.

"Is this a guy a cream puff or what, shitty glasses?" Levi retorted.

"And he's the empress second cousin!" she added.

"I thought we were going to see the old rag herself. Why bother to see her cousin?"

Hanji just ignored him as she twirled, picking up Eren and waltzing around.

"Erwin…" Levi called out, realizing that this out-of-plan deviation might be his idea.

"Well, you can't expect to get near the empress without convincing Moblit first." the blonde replied with a knowing smile.

"Oh, no. Not me. No and no." the boy stated "Nobody ever told me I had to prove to be the Grand Duke-shit or whatever the fuck it is."

"Look, I'm…"

"Show up, yes. Look nice, fine. But pretending to be some kind of snotty brat raised in nobility is out of my standards." Levi said back.

"You don't know it's a lie. What if it's true?" Erwin replied.

The teen raised his eyes to the sky and walked off. The blonde grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back with them.

"Ok, so there's one more stop on the road to finding out who you are. I just thought this was something you had to see through to the end, no matter what."

"Tch, have you taken a look at me, Erwin?" Levi replied pointing at himself "I'm not some royal-shit material here."

He growled in frustration as he stormed past the tall man and up to the bridge where Hanji was standing happily.

Levi rested his elbows on the bridge's rail, staring down at the clean water. She noticed the angrier than usual look on his face and could even feel the negative vibes coming out him. She rested her back on the rail and sighed.

"Wanna tell me what you do see, Shorty?" she asked.

"Really? I see a shitty glasses who doesn't mind her own business." the boy mumbled.

In the past days he grew accustomed to Hanji's antics and he would confide with her more often. The rude nickname remained and Hanji always giggled at the insult as if it was nothing.

"I also see a man with no past or future…" he admitted, gaze softening as he stared at his reflection on the water and kicked a small rock off into the water, crippling the river's surface.

"And I see a short, smart-talking but fiery young man, who on a number of occasions had shown a cool blood and a regal command, equal to any hero or royal in the world." Hanji said with a smile. "And I have known my share of royalty."

She looked left and right, especially over to Erwin and gestured Levi to come closer.

"You see, me and Erwin were members of the imperial court." she whispered.

Levi's eyes widen "What?"

Hanji nodded "My dad was the royal doctor. He taught me medicine classes with Moblit. Erwin was a trainee in the military; his father was a royal guard when the Ackerman family was in charge."

The teen said nothing, but paid attention anyway.

"Erwin's father was killed when the revolution broke out. The both of us were left alone since and we bound together to gain some money with our ideas and manage to survive so far."

"I see." Levi said, shifting back to his reflection in the water.

"He may look like a big jerk sometimes, but without his help, I wouldn't have made it so far." Hanji continued.

"He's a good man, but he's all cold and stuff like this because he had to be. Thinking about it…you two aren't so different after all." she smiled.

The teen nodded.

"You said you wanted to help your friends back there in Sina and fast, right? The only best choice for it is in Maria's kingdom. I'm sure you won't regret it."

The boy remained silent until he sighed "Alright…thank you, Hanji."

"Oh, one last thing…about that 'look-at-me' part; trust me…" she giggled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "He stares waaay more than he should."

Levi narrowed his eyes and gave her a light, friendly bump on the shoulder.

"Cut your crap already, shitty glasses! "

Hanji laughed heartily, with Eren yipping happily as well and the boy gave a faint smile.

The group was shortly followed by Erwin who rested his elbows next to Levi's side of the rail.

"So…are you ready to become the Grand Duke Rivaille?" He asked.

The teen took in a deep breath and exhaled in a sigh.

"Let's do this thing…but you better won't make me regret this choice."

Hanji: We remember it well!  
**_You were born in a palace by the sea  
Levi: really? Could it be?_**

**_Yes, that's right!  
You rode horseback when you were only three_ **

**_Levi: Horseback riding? Are you kidding me?_ **

**_Hanji: And the horse_ **

**_Erwin: He was white!_ **

**_Hanji: You made faces and terrorized the cook._ **

**_Erwin: Threw him in the brook!_ **

**_Levi: Was I wild?_ **

**_Erwin: Wrote the book!_ **

**_Hanji: you won't behave when your father gave “that look”._ **

_(She crossed her arms over her chest and looked disapproving at Levi and then she chuckled.)_

**_Erwin: Imagine how it was_ **

**_Hanji: Your long forgotten past_ **

**_Erwin and Hanji: We've lots and lots to teach you  
And the time is going fast!_ **

**_Levi: Okay, I'm ready!_ **

_(They walked over a fallen tree trunk that crossed over a small river, all lined up one after another.)_

**_Hanji: Now, shoulders back and stand up tall  
And do not walk but try to float_ **

_(Erwin settled a book on top of Levi's head as the teen tried to walk across a trunk while balancing the object on his head.)_

**_Levi: I feel just like a dumbass  
Am I floating?_ **

**_Hanji: Like a little boat  
You give a bow_ **

_(Levi made a reverence)_

**_Levi: What happens now?_ **

**_Hanji: Your hand receives a kiss!_ **

**_Levi: No._ **

_(He stared at Hanji with a death glare, but she rose up her hands in defense with a smile)_

**_Hanji: Okay, Okay_ **

**_Was just to say!_ **

**_Erwin and Hanji: Most of all, remember this_ **

**_Hanji: If I can learn to do it  
You can learn to do it_ **

_(She settled a book on top of her head as well, perfectly balancing it. Eren followed after Levi standing on his hind legs, trying to copy the others.)_

**_Erwin: Something in you knows it_ **

**_Hanji and Erwin: There's nothing to it!_ **

**_Hanji: Follow in my footsteps  
Shoe by shoe_ **

**_Hanji, Erwin: You can learn to do it, too_ **

_(Next, the three are sitting in the back of a small van, setting up a handmade small table with teacups on it. Levi sipped his tea by grabbing the sides of his cup instead of using the handle.)_

**_Hanji: Now, elbows in and sit up straight_ **

**_Erwin: And never slurp the stroganoff_ **

**_Levi: I never cared for stroganoff_ **

_(He turned his gaze aside regally and the two grinned.)_

**_Hanji: He said that like an Ackerman_ **

**_Erwin: The Samovar_ **

**_Hanji: The Caviar_ **

**_Levi: then what? Dessert and goodnight?_ **

**_Hanji and Erwin: Not until you get this right!_ **

_(The three are seen on horseback, Eren riding over Hanji's head as they galloped through the plain.)_

****_Hanji: If I can learn to do it_  
Erwin: If she can learn to do it  
Hanji: You can learn to do it 

_(Levi galloped faster, surpassing his friends and leaping over a small wall gracefully as he waved his hand to an invisible crowd._

_Erwin was next and he too jumped over the obstacle with no problem.)_  
**_Hanji: Pull yourself together  
And you'll pull through it!_**

****_Tell yourself it's easy_  
And it's true!  
You can learn to do it, too! 

_(Hanji wasn't so lucky. The horse stopped and she was catapulted in a nearby bush. She popped out laughing, covered in leaves until Levi stormed up to her and dragged her off to a forceful bath, much to the girls' protests.)_

_(The three were sitting in the backseats of a car. Hanji then pulled out a large scroll and a few books)_

Hanji: Next, you must memorize  
the names of the royalty! ** _  
Now, here we have Ulklin,_**

**_Erwin: Shot Potemkin,  
Hanji: In the Botkin_ **

**_Levi: Meh._ **

**_Hanji: And dear old uncle Pixis  
Loves his good whisky_ **

**_Erwin: Got it, Levi?_ **

**_Levi: No!_ **

**_Hanji: The Baron Rolf_ **

**_Levi: He was…_ **

**_Erwin: Short!_ **

**_Hanji: Then Count Dok_ **

**_Levi: Had a..._ **

**_Erwin: Wart!_ **

**_Hanji: Count Ralph_ **

**_Erwin: Wore a feathered hat_ **

**_Hanji: I hear he's gotten very fat_ **

**_Levi: And I recall his yellow cat!_ **

_(Eren jumped in Levi's arms and the teen smiled faintly)_

**_Hanji (whispering to Erwin): I don't believe we told him that…_ **

_(The three are riding bicycles across the narrow streets of beaten earth across the hills, Eren in the basket of Erwin's bike since Levi was having a hard time steering his own.)_

**_Levi: If you can learn to do it,  
I can learn to do it._ **

**_Hanji: Don't know how you knew it_ **

_(Hanji reached out to help Levi straightening up and the boy got more confident, quickly able to drive the bike with no problem.)_

**_Levi: I simply knew it  
Suddenly I feel like someone new_ **

**_Hanji, Erwin: Levi, you're a dream come true!_ **

_(The group boarded a bus that brought them to Rose kingdom's harbor, where they would take the boat to Maria's reign, their final destination.)_

**_Hanji, Erwin: If I can learn to do it,_ **

****_Levi: If I can learn to do it,_  
You can learn to do it,  
You can learn to do it.  
Pull yourself together

**_All Three: And you'll pull through it!_ **

**_Hanji: Tell yourself it's easy_ **

**_All Three: And it's true  
You can learn to do it, too_ **

_(Hanji and Erwin stood at the side of the boarding plank, bowing slightly like royal guards and inviting Levi to aboard. The teen bowed respectfully, playing the part.)_

**_Levi: Nothing to it_ **

**_All Three: You can learn to do it, too!_ **

_(The group boarded the ship, thrusting their arms up in triumph with Eren following them, waving his tail happily)_

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random Hanji and even more custom lyrics. XD


	5. Storm at the Sea

**Chapter 5: Storm at the Sea**

The ship "Titan" let out a huge puff of steam as it sailed off through the sea. Inside the ship, the group's cabin was furnished with a few elegant red chairs, counters and a near bathroom. There was also a bunk bed with only two beds.

Hanji was finishing unpacking her bag and fixing her bed on the top bunk (rightfully claimed by winning 3 times over 5 at rock, paper, scissors against Levi). Erwin instead choose to sleep on a mattress on the floor (mostly due to Levi refusing to sleep on the 'dirty' carpet).

Levi and Erwin were unpacking their luggage as well when the tall blonde pulled out a small box from his bag and handed it over to the teen. The boy just stared at the man with confusion.

"Here. It's for you." He said.

"What's this?" The teen asked.

"Consider it a gift…" the blonde said with a smile.

Levi carefully took the box in his hands and opened it, revealing a piece of soft, white clothing inside.

He arched an eyebrow, unimpressed "And… you brought me a napkin?"

Erwin chuckled "No. It's a cravat." He said "Why don't you try it out?"

The boy tried to tie the cloth around his neck, but he was having a hard time trying to fix it.

It was much shorter and slippery than his old, worn scarf and no matter how much he tried, it would always come undone.

"Shit…" he cursed lowly, embarrassed.

"Here." Strong hands reached out to his, taking the cloth from him "Let me help you with it."

Levi tensed at the thought, but he forced himself to relax.

"Alright…" he muttered "I…trust you…"

Erwin just smiled and skillfully folded the cloth in place. In the end, the white cravat was around Levi's neck, tied just the right amount to avoid hurt him but firm enough to don't become undone easily.

"You should look at yourself; you look like a real nobleman."

"Tch. I hardly believe that as a compliment." The teen muttered looking away, slightly embarrassed.

Erwin just smiled at the small teen before he walked out, stopping briefly on the porch. "I'll be going now. Hanji insisted for a chess match. You should rest."

"Not tired." Levi replied.

"Alright. If you need anything, you know where to find us." The blonde said as he walked off.

Levi just remained alone in the room. He walked up to the mirror on the counter and looked at his reflection.

He ran a hand over the silk, feeling the softness of the material.

"Not bad…" He said "Not bad at all."

>\---!---<

 "HA!" Hanji cried in triumph as she smashed her white bishop on the chess board "Checkmate! Eat it, eyebrows!" she cheered while trumping left and right in victory.

"I wouldn't think so…" Erwin grinned as he pointed to the small battlefield their game had turned into.

Hanji looked back on the board and gasped at the realization that (mystery how it could be possible) she had her king trapped between Erwin's black tower, queen and horse.

She let out a frustrated groan and slid back in her seat, planting and open palm on her face.

"Again? It's like the 1348 time you won!"

"The 1350 time, actually" Erwin corrected her as he laughed.

"You can be a real son-of-a-bitch you know?" she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

Eren interrupted them as he ran off and yipped to greet Levi, who just recently walked on the deck, dressed in his new attire.

He wore a white button shirt under a long sleeved black jacket; he sported black pants and elegant black shoes. Around his neck, the cravat fell nicely over his collarbone and swished ever so slightly with each of his steps.

"Wow!" Hanji gasped in disbelief. She removed her glasses to clean them and put them back on. "Well, now look at that!"

She turned to face Erwin and found him wide eye, mouth agape and totally dazed.

Hanji giggled at his face and turned to Levi, who walked up to them.

"Ehy, there, good looking! Going out for a hot date or you are trying to fish something… (She eyed furtively the dazed Erwin) "bigger "?" she chuckled.

It was enough to snap out the blonde man, who glared at her "Hanji, this is not…"

"Never mind." Levi cut him short. "Weren't you ranting about the whole teaching me 'how-to-dance' crap? "

Hanji jumped up from her seat in realization "Right! You must learn how to dance for a ball. Erwin, get your ass over here!" She commanded with a grin.

"What?!" The blonde asked, confused.

"I hardly seen any party in court, too busy, and you once said that you were a good dancer." She smirked evilly.

"So you should be more suited for the job, now, aren't you?"

Erwin was about to protest until he realized this had to be Hanji's little personal revenge for the lost chess game. He could tell by those flashy glasses and mad smirk.

"Fine. You won this time." the blonde muttered as he rose from his seat.

As they stood one in front of each other, the size difference was more noticeable.

Levi could barely reach Erwin's collarbone and his frame was much skinnier and fragile-looking. The blonde already saw that the teen had some muscle up, earned in his fights in the streets, but he remained considerably small for his age.

And it felt strangely adorable.

Levi held Erwin's right hand while he let the other to the taller man's waist. Erwin did the same with him as they both pretended to dance with a woman.

"And now…! One, two, three…One, two, three …" Hanji marked the rhythm and the boys started to dance a waltz. But as soon as they begun, she shook her head.

"No, no, no, no! It doesn't work."

"I told you I don't dance. I don't know how to lead in a ball." Levi replied.

"Mm…what about if you let Erwin lead?" She suggested "Just let him."

The teen was reluctant again to let someone else lead him, but nevertheless, he had to try. Trust them again as he did before.

"Okay." He mumbled.

They tried once again, this time Erwin leading their steps. The first steps were quite clumsy but as they went on, their dance begun to match.

"That cravat looks good on you." the blonde pointed out.

"Cheesy old man." Levi replied.

The blonde laughed "Maybe. But truth to be told…That attire fits you perfectly. You should wear it more often."

"Must say…to be dressed like a penguin, it isn't so bad." the boy said as they continued to dance across the deck.

"I was trying to say a…"

"Compliment?"

"Yes."

As they danced across the deck, Hanji sat on a crate while watching them. She smiled.

**Hanji:**

**It's one, two, three**

**And suddenly**

**I see it at a glance.**

**He's radiant**

**And confident**

**And born to take this chance.**

**I taught him well,**

**I planned it all,**

**I just forgot**

_(she realized the situation and sighed. Eren hopped next to her and she picked him up.)_

**Han, how could you do this?**

**How will we get through this?**

**I never should have let them**

 

"I'm feeling dizzy." Levi muttered.

"Kind of…light headed?" Erwin asked.

"Yeah."

"Well…me too." He said, slowing them down to a stop "Maybe it is from spinning so much around."

They stared in each other eyes. Softened grays with cerulean blues.

"Maybe we should stop…"

"We have stopped…"

"Levi you…"

"Yeah?"

Without realization, they slowly leaned toward each other's when Eren's sudden bark reeled them back into reality.

"Y-you're doing fine." The tall blonde said, letting go of the teen and discharging him with a pat on the shoulder.

Levi just watched as the tall blonde walked off and sighed.

"Nice going brat." he sighed, through he didn't know if from relief or regret.

"Bark-bark!" Eren woofed.

>\---!---<

The ship continued its course through the North Sea, going for a straight line toward Maria's kingdom. It was just a night away before hitting harbor.

The darkness already descended and the sky was almost entirely covered in thick clouds except for the bright moon and the waves caused the boat to rock slightly back and forth.

"Owww…" Hanji groaned, looking rather sick. Her complex changed from her natural pink to a sick green color.

"Oi, shitty glasses. Are you all right?" Levi asked.

"'Mm fine…" she dismissed him.

"Just riddled with envy. Look at him." She glared at Erwin, who slept on the mattress on the floor. "He can sleep through anything. What is he? A human dormouse or what?!"

Eren had nested himself nicely inside one of the open bags, snoring away his nap peacefully, until the blonde turned around and kicked the bag off by accident, causing the pup to fall out with a startled yelp.

With him, a rounded object rolled out the bag and halted on the carpet. The dog looked at it interestingly, sniffed it and begun to wave his tail happily and yap.

"What is it now, Eren?" Levi asked annoyed.

The pup picked the item up in his mouth and climbed on the teen's lap, dropping it on him.

Levi patted Eren's head and picked up the object. It was a small jewelry box of silver, green and blue bright colors. He viewed it up close with interest.

"Pretty jewelry box, isn't it?" Hanji slurred groggily.

"Jewelry box?" He repeated. "Are you sure that's what it is?"

Ethereal dancing figures began to form around him in his imagination as he continued to stare at the small thing in his hands.

"What else could it be?"

"Something else…special…" he muttered, completely entranced by the box "Something to do with a secret."

He was brought back to reality when Eren pawed at his chest, reaching out to affectionately lick at his face.

"Eren!" Levi complained, pushing off the pup. "That's gross!"

Hanji yawned "Oh, well. I think I'll doze off too." she stretched her limbs and climbed the ladder up to her bed. "To be honest, I think anything is possible."

"You think so?"

"Well, you learned how to dance. That’s one thing."

"Ah-ha, very funny." Levi replied sarcastically. He set Eren down on the carpet and went to bed, pulling the covers over him and shutting down the lamp.

"Nighty night, your majesty." Hanji joked before dozing off.

"'Night, glasses." the boy answered as he yawned and closed his eyes.

Eren hopped on the bed and snuggled between Levi's arms.

"Yeah, you too brat…" he cut short and drifted to sleep.

>\---!---<

Kemono walked with a maleficent grin on his face as he viewed the rock table, where the fog mirror showed Levi sleeping peacefully.

"There he is, master." Bertolt said. "Sound asleep."

"And pleasant dream to you, prince." the wizard chuckled "I'll get inside your mind, where you can't escape me." he grinned as he waved his hand over the mirror.

>\---!---<

Back on the ship, a thin eerie green fog crawled from under the cabin's door before thin trails-like snakes drifted across the floor in search of something.

One sneaked up to Erwin but ignored him shortly after while another crept up the ladder and approached Hanji, who snored soundly with a thin trail of drool coming out her mouth. With her snoring, she almost sucked up the fog but it quickly retreated away.

The other trails crept around Levi's shoes and crawled up to the sleeping teen.

The boy let out a yawn, unaware of the small demons that circled above him. They turned into black and white swallows that flew randomly leaving a thin a golden trail behind as the magic made his way inside the raven's mind.

Inside Levi's dream, the boy walked across a path between large green plains with far hills covered by tall grass.

Tall trees and farm houses dotted the many hills and the birds chirped in the sky. It was so peaceful there and Levi felt a calmness that he wasn't used to feel.

"Aniki!" Someone shouted.

Levi looked up ahead and saw the familiar faces of Isabel and Farlan waving at him from the hill top.

"Come on, big bro! Let's go!" the girl beamed.

"Follow us. We're going to have fun!" the other called out.

Levi smiled at the sight of his best friends and walked toward them.

>\---!---<

Outside of his dreams; the teen rose from his bed and followed the swallows as if possessed by a superior force, unaware of the ship's movement or sounds around him.

He walked through the dark halls, swinging to a side when the ship tilted too much left or right, rocked by the storm.  But the boy didn’t seem to notice at all as he proceeded to follow the golden trial of the swallows.

Eren woke up with a start when a loud thunder crack shot out, causing him to yip in fear. He sighed in relief when he realized there was no danger. He turned to face Levi, only for his eyes to widen in shock as he found the bed empty.

The puppy jumped off and followed his owner’s scent, until he was stopped by the cabin’s closed door. He pawned and howled at it in vain. He couldn't open it!

"Bark Bark!" Eren barked with insistence as he ran back and forth across the room, trying to wake up any of his companions.

Hanji slept like a rock, her snoring almost beating the sound of the storm, including the pup's desperate calls.

Eren moaned in frustration and reached out for Erwin. He leaped on the man's shoulder and barked loudly in his ear, trying to wake him up.

The man just ignored him and turned the other side, causing the pup to fell off.

>\---!---<

The ship was buffeted side to side by the stormy sea and the pouring rain, causing it to tilt dangerously side to side almost as if it was about to overturn at any given moment.

Levi staggered through the deck, still deep asleep and walking after the imaginary swallows. He trailed after them up to a stair when, in his dream, he was still after his friends, climbing a tall rock that brought him to the top of the hill.

"Come on, aniki!" Isabel cheered as she balanced her steps over a fallen trunk like a trapezist on a rope. "Check this out."

Farlan followed as well and Levi after him, copying her moves while they walked across the trunk.

"Hi!" voices called out. The thugs noticed a group of strangers in swimsuit not so far ahead.

They waved joyfully at them, inviting them over before they jumped off the cliff, followed by splashing sounds.

"Come on Levi!" Farlan grinned. "The last is a snotty brat!" he mocked as he ran off.

"Oi, wait for me!" the teen called out but he suddenly lost his footing and tilted backward.

>\---!---<

Outside, the ship rocked back causing Levi to almost fall over the rail and into the dark waters below. Thankfully, he regained his balance just in time but the sudden movement didn't woke him.

In the cabin, Eren still tried to wake up Erwin, who continued to sleep nevertheless of his cries. Whimpering, the pup bit and tugged at the blonde's sleeve.

"Eren…" the man moaned in his sleep "Shut up. I don't want to play…" he said groggily as he pushed the dog’s snout away.

Growing worried and frustrated by the second, the puppy did the only thing that crossed his mind: his own version of Levi's infallible (and painful) 'wake-up' call.

*NOM!*

"OW!" Erwin cried out as he felt tiny sharp needles of pain shoot through his forearm.

He grabbed Eren by the scruff of the neck, pulling him off and faced the small teal eyed were-pup.

"What is wrong with you?!" he half-shouted angrily.

The shepherd squirmed out of his grip and started to bark and whimper desperately, shifting his gaze from Erwin to the bed behind him.

The blonde tried to formulate what the pup was trying to do. It seemed as if he wanted to tell him something.

His eyes moved where the pup was pointing at so fanatically when a thunder shot out, illuminating the room for a brief second, and he saw the bed where Levi was supposed to sleep was empty.

And the boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Levi. Levi?" the man called.

He turned to Eren who looked up at him with a worried expression. The pup ran for the cabinet door, pawning at it and whimpering.

"Oh, no."

Erwin threw the blanket off himself and ran out of the door with Eren in tow.

Hanji barely opened her eyes before quickly falling to snoring once again.

"Levi!" the blonde shouted, trying to keep balance through the moving halls. He ran up the stairs and rushed out into the storm.

>\---!---<

The teen walked through the upper deck of the ship and leaped up the rail, grabbing a cable as he seemed to calmly view the panorama.

In his dreams: Isabel grabbed the rope attached to a nearby tree. With a Tarzan-like yell, she swung forward and let go, splashing in the small river below. Farlan jumped down the cliff as well, laughing once he emerged from the waters.

Levi was the last to reach out for the rope and stood by the cliff's edge, taking in the scene down him.

His best friends were splashing water at each other, laughing happily doing so. There was also a small group of raven haired people, a woman and a man with their kids, swimming in circle and relaxing.

"Hello, dear." the long haired woman called out with a sweet smile.

"Come on, the water is fantastic!" one of the kids invited him, splashing some water.

Levi didn’t know why, but he felt as if he knew these people from somewhere. He felt an unusual but not unwelcome warm filling his heart.

"Jump in, Levi!" Farlan called out.

"Yeah, aniki! You're going to lose all the fun. Like this!" Isabel grinned before she let herself fall backward in the water, causing her wave to hit and soak anyone in her vicinity.

Levi laughed happily at the sight of Farlan chiding Isabel as he usually did. The red haired girl would pout or poke her tongue out at her friend when he wasn't looking.

"Oi, don't get carried away." the dark haired teen replied as stepped back, ready to jump.

>\---!---<

Erwin ran across the ship in a desperate search for the boy. The rocking of the ship and the cold waters across the floor caused him to slip various time, only adding more to his frustration.

"Levi!" He shouted.

A particularly tall wave flooded the deck and he had no choice but to climb as high as he could, hopefully trying to spot the teen from an higher position.

He managed to climb to the top of a chimney despite the slippery metal and what he saw from there made his heart froze in his chest.

"Levi!" Erwin yelled "Stop!"

>\---!---<

The boy tentatively took a step forward when he hesitated. He felt a sudden sensation of dread. Something wasn’t right. All of this looked too good to be true.

The dark haired man below suddenly grinned and a lion tail spurted from his back.

"Yes, jump!" He seethed.

Levi's eyes widened in shock as the once clean water turned into a lake of underwater red skulls and the old man's face contorted in the one of a devil.

The green plains and hills behind him broke down, turning in a black and green landscape of death. The sky darkened and the swallows bulged up until they blew up and green demons appeared. More came out from the clouds and circled around the boy like a flock of vultures.

Levi tried to back away when he found himself trapped atop of a tall column of skulls and rocks. The figures that just seconds ago were his friends had turned into red"eyed dark demons and their claws lashed out at the boy, who dodged them as best as he could.

The dark haired man turned in a demon twice the eight of the column and laughed maniacally as he stared down at the young man.

"Jump!"

The smaller demons clawed at the column's trunk, causing it to lose stability and swing dangerously from side to side.

Levi tried to keep steady and avoid the clawed hands of the demons around him. One lashed at him but he dodged when another demon clawed at him and scratched his arm. He grunted in pain as he reached out for his injury.

"Just who the hell are you?" he shouted, both startled and angered.

"The one that will fulfill the Ackerman curse, boy." the demon laughed "And now…FALL!" it raised its claws, about to crush the small teen when...

>\---!---<

"LEVI!"

"Eh?!"

Suddenly, the demons disappeared and the world crashed down on him.

His eyes flew open and his vision filled with darkness and thunders, pouring cold rain and sea water on his face and the violent movement of the ship rocking left and right.

Shocked, he tried to back away from the edge of the rail he was standing on, but lost his footing to the slippery metal and then he was falling.

A hand grabbed his wrist at the last minute and when he looked up, he saw him.

"Erwin!" Levi called out.

Erwin was leaning over the edge of the rail and held a strong and firm grip on his wrist. His usually well kept hair was messy and his blue eyes filled with many emotions.

Levi snapped out his trance when he felt himself hauled back on the ship and both men fell backward until they hit the deck with a loud thud, both soaked in rain and sea.

The confused teen got up to his knees as he tried to remember what had just happened when strong hands grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to turn and look into Erwin's eyes.

"What has gotten to you?!" the blonde shouted in anger, shaking him. "What the hell were you thinking?! Walking out in the middle of the storm…Did you want to die?!"

"The Ackerman curse!" Levi gasped the first thing that actually crossed his confused mind.

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw faces and then …my friends and…they… I…" the teen tried to speak, but the whole happening and the possible outcome had shaken him.

"I…I…" Levi muttered before falling silent and staring down, dark bangs shadowing his eyes.

Erwin's hard gaze softened with worry as he felt the teen's shoulders slump and shake even so slightly. He loosened his grip on them, without letting go of the younger.

"Levi…" he called softly.

"…Sorry…" the boy murmured, looking down and defeated.

Erwin said nothing. He gently brought the teen close to his chest and wrapped his arms around his smaller frame as the younger trembled with cold and shock. There were no tears, Levi was too strong for that, but the thought of almost dying stuck something deep inside him.

The storm had finally quieted and the ship stopped moving but it didn't calm the swirling tornado inside the boy's mind and soul.

"It's all right." the blonde soothed softly as he gently rubbed circles on the distressed teen's back.

"It was just a nightmare…You're safe now."

Levi said nothing; he buried his face in the crook of Erwin's neck and shoulder, grasping tightly his shirt. He forced himself to stifle the sobs that threatened to flow out of him, relieving in Erwin's gentle touch.

That definitely confirmed the blonde's suspicious. Something, or someone, was after Levi and it wanted to claim the boy's life.

He sighed.

_"We must reach Maria kingdom. And Fast."_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waaa! The fluff, the romance, the second chapter posted in a day!  
> Hope you like :)


	6. Welcome to Maria's

**Chapter 6: Welcome to Maria**

"NO!" Kemono howled. He kicked around and hit his head in crazy rage against the roof and columns of his lair.

"Master please, take it easy!" Bertolt tried to calm him down, through the bat seemed to be way more stressed out of fear. "Remember about your stress level! It's won't do good to lose your head!"

"Y-you're right…" the wizard said as he seemed to slowly come back to his senses. "I am calm…I am heartless…I have no feeling whatsoever…"

He muttered to himself as his previously too stretched neck begun to sunk down into his body and below.

"Uh, sir?" Bertolt asked as he looked down inside the wizard's robes.

The madman's head was now in his ribcage, floating aimlessly in a puddle of dirty looking water inside of himself.

"I feel a sudden onset of clarity, Bertolt." Kemono sighed before glaring "I'll have to kill him myself in person."

"Y-you mean…physically?" the bat dared.

"You know what they say…'If you want something done right…'" he recited as he stood up, but since his head was sunk down, he failed to notice a pillar ahead and he knocked against it.

"Ow!…"

"But that means going topside." Bertolt said.

"Exactly." the wizard's head popped out, backwards. He grabbed his face and twisted it around back in place with a sickening crack. "I have so many fond memories of Maria's kingdom… "

He grabbed and squeezed a small bug that dared to come too close and grinned madly "And killing the last of the Ackerman with my own hands will be SO delicious." he strangled the critter before tossing it away.

"Well, time to go." Kemono said to himself as he swung a long, red cape over his shoulders and sprinkled some perfume on.

"Uh, forgive me master but… you're dead." Bertolt tried to reason "And falling apart as well. How do you expect to get to Maria's reign in one piece? If…I dare to ask sir…" he added meekly.

"I thought we'd take the train." the wizard smirked.

The bugs around them scattered away in fear as the wizard's feet glowed and green smoke crawled out from under his robes. Without warning, the madman shot out the lair like a rocket with the green relic in hands and a startled Bertolt holding on to it for dear life.

"Woah!" he cried.

They shot out of the lair and into the space of the Limbo before burrowing into solid ground and off.

>\---!---<

"So let me get this straight…" Hanji said, sipping some of her coffee and munching on a biscuit.

"You are trying to tell me, that there is _'something'_ or _'someone'_ , out of this world, going after Levi? Sorry if I say so, but don't you think it's pretty improbable?"

Erwin said nothing. He just stared at his own cup of coffee as he rested his elbows on the table's surface, fingers interlaced in front of him. He was deep in his thoughts.

He and Hanji were sitting on a bar's table on the deck of the ship to get some breakfast and discuss their current situation.

Levi was asleep, back in the cabin, changed in new clothes and getting some rest after the night he went through.

Eren was left with him, tasked to watch over him and he took his job at heart, marching back and forth, guarding his tired owner.

"I know this sounds crazy…but I believe it is possible…" the blonde begun "Levi said something about a curse. I thought about it and then I remembered of an event that happened ten years ago, when I was still a recruit at the academy." he said.

Hanji chomped down another biscuit and asked "Really?"

The man nodded. "I remember that, one night, a madman made his way into the ballroom when the king held a farewell party in honor of the empress's depart to Maria's reign." he said.

"I can't remember the whole story, but he mentioned something about cursing the royal house and the revolution exploded shortly after. I dismissed the whole happening, regarding it as a coincidence. But since we took Levi in, way too many strange things started to happen."

Hanji remained silent for a moment.

"If you come to think of it…" she begun with a thoughtful expression "I suspected something since the train incident. I mean… the cars suddenly blow up, the engine overheats, the bridge explodes and even the drawbars were melted down…" she recalled "And now Levi almost dies in his sleep by jumping off the ship in the middle of a storm and he didn't even recalled how in the world he ended up there…"

Erwin sighed "Indeed. There were way too many strange coincidences to be logically possible."

He lifted up his gaze, blue eyes firm and serious expression and fixed straight into the woman's brown ones.

"Hanji, we must bring Levi to Maria's kingdom as fast as possible. He will have more chances of survival there." he stated.

The goggled woman stared at him before she sighed and nodded.

"You're right. Leave it to me. I'll get us the fastest thing I can get to reach the capital of the city."

"Thank you. I know I can count on you." the blonde thanked.

"Whenever I can help." Hanji smiled in reassurance as she lifted her cup to take her last sip of coffee. "You should go wake up the sleeping beauty, we're almost there." she looked at the approaching coasts of Maria's kingdom.

"Right. I'll see you later." Erwin said as he rose from his seat and walked down to their cabin.

>\---!---<

The blonde gently opened the door, trying to be as quiet as possible. Eren, still on guard mode while walking back and forth, quickly recognized the man and trotted up to him, waving his tail.

Erwin signaled him to keep quiet as he could see through the gap of the door that Levi was deep asleep. The man tried to be silent as he could as he stepped inside the room.

The small raven haired teen rested so peaceful and quietly, much different than the previous night.

The blonde sighed as he remembered.

After a good while of comforting the frightened teen, he helped him up and escorted him all the way back to their cabin. The boy shivered with both cold and shock, hardly able to walk a straight line by himself.

Once back in the safety of their room, Levi took the opportunity to give himself a quick shower before drying himself as best as he could and changed in dry clothes.

During the whole procedure, Levi looked so tired and downhearted that the expression felt so unnatural on his features and made Erwin's heart ache to see him in such miserable state.

He didn't left the boy's side until he was sure he was asleep and safe in his bed. It had taken some more gentle strokes on his back and reassurances before the smaller man allowed himself to rest.

Levi looked so peaceful and calm now, his chest slowly rose with each breath and the messy, still damp dark locks of his bangs were plastered on his face.

A part of Erwin wanted the boy to feel like this all the time, safe and peaceful. The boy himself was beautiful.

He reached out to touch Levi's shoulder and gently shook him, not wanting to startle him.

"Levi…" he whispered "Levi, wake up."

The boy moaned softly as he stirred. His silvery eyes slowly opened through half-open eyelids and his messy bangs.

"Erwin?" he asked, voice moisten with sleep.

"Good morning." the blonde smiled "We arrived."

>\---!---<

"Ah, yes. I remember well." a tall man in a elegant suit said "Uncle Zermusky from Utopia. Uncle Thomas from Trost…and every spring…"

"We would take picnics by the shore on Sunday." the empress, who sat on a red silk chair, recalled as she rose from the chair "Haven't you anything better to do?" she huffed as she waved her hand.

Next to the door there was count Moblit Berner, along with a couple of guards, one with blonde hair tied behind his back and the other dark-haired. The three exchanged looks, understanding the woman's signal and both the blonde and raven guards flanked the man on both sides.

"Please, follow us. It's the empress's tea time and she wishes no to be disturbed." The ravn guard stated simply.

They dragged off the baffled man while the count exited last, reaching out for the doors' handles.

"I will send your tea within a few moments, empress." Moblit said.

"Thanks, you guys are such dears…"

"I apologize through…I did thought he might be the real one…I'm sorry." he added before he closed the doors behind him.

Left alone, the empress sighed and shook her head "No more. No more…"

"Uh, your majesty?" a small girl with ginger hair asked as he peeked in the room. "I brought your tea."

"Thank you, dear." the old woman said gratefully as she sat back again. The girl promptly poured a cup of tea with honey and handed it over to the woman.

"We apologize again, milady. We thought that this one was the real one." she apologized.

"No need to be troubled, my dear." The empress sighed, running a hand on her forehead as if calming down a headache. "But I fear my heart can't take it anymore…"

She rose up again from her seat, waking slightly away to a counter where the photo of a young boy with dark hair was portrayed. She stared at it with sadness before she furrowed her brows.

"I have enough of it. I will see no more boys claiming to be Rivaille." she stated before turning the photo face down.

>\---!---<

The group was travelling toward the capital of Maria's kingdom with a carriage. While they waited to reach their destination, both Hanji and Erwin decided to spend time by revising Levi's knowledge so far.

"Where is aunt Mina from?" Erwin asked.

"What if this Moblit doesn't recognize me?" Levi asked back.

"He will." Hanji beamed. "You are Rivaille!"

"It's just that…"

"What? Losing confidence so soon? Or did you forget it back on the ship?" Hanji joked.

"Three days ago, I didn't have any past…" Levi said "And now I'm trying to remember and entire lifetime."

"That's why you got us, remember?" the woman smiled, wrapping and arm around Levi's shoulders. "Now, shut up and tell us where Aunt Mina is from."

"Karanese?" he tried.

>\---!---<

At midday, the group reached the large Victorian manor that stood in the richest neighborhood of the city. The house was encircled by tall gates and the inner courtyard that covered a large space gave a nice view toward Maria's tower, symbol of the kingdom's nationality.

"Here we are!" Hanji grinned as she hopped off the carriage that brought them there.

"So…the empress's far cousin lives here?" Erwin asked as he viewed the villa.

"Yep. Pretty thing, right?"

Levi walked up to their side and he too watched the large palace. He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"I bet he's just like those noble pigs back there in Sina. Walking over people as if they owned the place." he grunted.

"No way, he's different. Sure, he has some status quo, but I assure you he's not like them." Hanji replied angrily, it was rare to see her like that.

"Levi, remember what we taught you." Erwin admonished.

The teen rolled his eyes but recited anyway "'Polite. Balanced. Regal.' You already gave me this speech since we started this whole story."

Hanji knocked at the door first and a guard with blonde hair and blue eyes presented on the door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Hi, Eld. Remember me? I'm one of Moblit's friends. Is he home?"

The guard viewed the woman and then he remembered.

"Of course. You are Count Moblit's school friend!" he smiled. "Wait here."

Short after the guard was back with a tall man with ash colored hair.

"Hi, Moby-oby! Remember me?" Hanji called out.

"Zoe? Hanji Zoe from Sina's medicine academy? Is that you?" the man asked surprised.

"The one and only." she grinned proudly.

"It's a pleasure to see you again!" the man greeted with a smile as he extended his hand for Hanji to shake, but the woman just wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him in a bear hug.

"Oof, nice to see you haven't changed all these years..." he wheezed.

She finally let him go and walked back to her companions.

"And we got a special guest too!" she put her hands on Levi's shoulder and " _invited_ " (pushed) him forward.

"We can talk of it inside, please come in." Moblit said as he invited the group in.

Eren tried to run inside the house, but he was cut short when the door slammed shut, causing the pup to bump his nose on the door.

He groaned and pawned at the door before circling around and reaching for the closest window he could find. He climbed up the edge and looked inside.

"May I present his imperial highness, the Grand Duke Rivaille Ackerman." Hanji announced as she introduced Levi.

"Oh, my…" Moblit gasped "He certainly does look like Rivaille." he begun as he viewed the teen from head to toe.

Despite the unwanted attention, Levi forced himself to remain composed and polite as he was told to.

Moblit then sighed with a disapproving nod "But so did many of the others."

"Others?" Hanji asked confused.

"Since my cousin offered a large sum of money, you should know that other did tried to fool her by claiming to be the lost prince. She rejected each of them."

Levi shot a sideway glance to Erwin almost as wanting to say _'Told you'_ , but the blonde just stared back firmly. The teen understood that he must have a plan or was very confident and decided to just play along.

"Let's see…" the cunt began "Where were you born?" he asked to Levi.

"At the Mitras Palace." the teen answered.

"Correct. And how does the prince like his tea?"

"Black tea."

"Good."

Time went on, slow and boring, with Moblit asking many questions about Rivaille's life and preferences and the royal's family linage.

Hanji was slumped on a sofa, snoring and drooling. Eren, in the outside, had carved a hole in the grass for walking back and forth so many times and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Erwin almost seemed to doze off as well, but forced himself to stay calm and awake, watching how Levi answered all the questions without batting an eye or hesitating.

The teen seemed not transfixed or bored at all, carrying on with seemly infinite patience.

"Alright. You might find this an impertinent question. But, tell me this…" Moblit stated as he trailed off a moment.

Erwin frowned and so did Levi. What kind of question could be even be left by now?

"How did you escaped the siege of the palace?"

The blonde man sighed as he rubbed a hand on his face. How could they forget such an important detail?

Levi remained silent, but he reached for his necklace, now hidden under the white cravat as a memory begun to slowly bubble up in the back of his mind. It could be wrong, but remain silent wouldn't have helped neither.

"There was…a boy." he started as he forced himself to remember "A boy who worked in the palace. He…opened a wall, there was this secret passage and…" he trailed off and sighed.

"Sorry. This is crazy. Walls opening." he muttered.

Erwin's eyes widened in realization and stared at the teen in complete amazement.

Hanji suddenly fell off the sofa and yelped.

"I'm ok! I'm alive!" she cried out before when she remembered where they were.

"So? Is he an Ackerman?" she blurted out groggily as she leaped back on her feet and walked up to Moblit.

"Well..." he started and the he smiled "He answered every question, so... "

Hanji's eyes widened and then she jumped with joy. "You hear that, Shorty? You did it!"

She rushed over to encase Levi in a bear hug, managing to lift the small teen of his feet as she twirled around.

"Oi, calm down, would you?" the boy growled as he pawed at the crazy woman's face "Put me down!"

"Oops, sorry." The brunette apologized and set him back to the floor. She turned to Moblit. "So? When do we go and see the empress?" she asked excitedly.

"I'm afraid you don't." Moblit sighed, smile fading.

"What?! Why?"

"She won't allow it."

"Bulloks!" Hanji spat "She has to see him, it's her grandson after all. Can't you arrange a brief interview with the dowager?"

"I would but I can't. I just can't!" Moblit said defensively. Then a light bulb appeared on his head and turned to Levi.

"Wait. Do you like the Sina's ballet?"

"Yeah?"

"I heard that they would be performing in Maria's tonight." he said "The dowager empress loves Sina's ballet! She always invites me every year." he gave Hanji's a furtive look.

"We never miss it." he winked.

Hanji arched an eyebrow until she caught up to Moblit's plan and grinned.

"Perfect! We'll meet the empress at the performance tonight and present her Rivaille!" she cheered and hugged the count. "Moblit, you are a genius!"

The ash aired man blushed and let out a embarrassed little laugh "Eheh…whenever I can help."

Levi let out a faint smile and turned to face Erwin "Oi, Erwin. Did you hear…" he stopped in confusion when he noticed the tall blonde was gone.

>\---!---<

Erwin was out in the courtyard, deeply in thought. He sighed as he rubbed his eyes with his hand.

Hanji hopped on the porch letting out a large _"Weee did it!"_ Before leaping down the stairs and walking up to her partner.

"We're going to see the imperial highness tonight!" she announced before leaping on top of Erwin's shoulder, causing the blonde to stumble.

"Hanji, get off!" he half-shouted angrily.

He hated being interrupted, let alone when thinking deeply.

The woman jumped off his shoulder and gave him a friendly pat.

"We're going to get the 10 million gold coins. We're going to be…"

"Hanji, Han- Just calm down." he said, grabbing her by the wrists and forcing her to stay put for a moment. He let her go and sighed.

"He IS the prince."

She didn't seem to listen and chirped "Levi was extraordinary! I almost believed him. And Moblit…" she burst into laughter.

"Oi, Count Barner wants to take us shopping for the ballet." Levi called out as he walked out the door and into the courtyard. "I would have never thought to do such thing in Maria's."

"Well, you better believe it, Shorty. Dreams come true!" Hanji grinned "Come on, let's go!" excitedly, she rushed up to the teen and dragged him off despite the stream of curses she was getting from him.

Erwin remained alone as he watched the two disappear behind the door. He shook his head.

_"How I'm going to tell him?"_

>\---!---<

Levi walked out the dress shop, dressed in plain white button shirt under an elegant black vest. He wore adherent fine black pants with black ballroom shoes.

Outside, the others were also dressed in grand gala.

Hanji wore a short purple dress with elegant matching shoes. Her hair was well kept in a less messy ponytail and her trademark goggles were (much to her displeasure) replaced with cat-eye framed black glasses. She sported a pair of pink pearl earrings on both her ears and a transparent purple foulard around her shoulders.

Moblit was dressed with a pale yellow shirt under a bluish suit and a red Papillion around his neck. He sported a yellow hat with a red band and dark shoes.

Erwin was dressed in a blue shirt under a plain grey suit and a black tie around his neck. He wore long white pants and a set of elegant black ballroom shoes. His well kept hair was the same as always.

"How do I look?" Levi asked.

"With your eyes!" Hanji giggled.

The teen glared and she smiled at him "You look fine. You look like a real prince." she said.

"Shall we get going? We still have some more before the ball. We could visit the plaza." Moblit suggested.

"Sounds good to me." the glass wearing girl said.

Moblit held out his hand shyly for Hanji and she intertwined her finger with his and smiled, leaning against the count's shoulder.

"After all…this is the city of love."  


**Accordion Player: Lovers  
Lady Flower Seller: Ooh la la...**

**Moblit: Welcome my friends to Maria's**  
Here have a flower on me  
Forget where you're from

 _(Hanji accepted the flowers from the seller, giving one to Erwin, fixed another on Levi's vest and finally she moved to give one for Moblit to wear too.)_  
**You're in Maria**  
Children, come  
I'll show you that here 

**'joie de vivre'**

_(Hanji grabbed Moblit from under the elbow and begun to dance away. Levi rolled his eyes while Erwin chuckled and they followed them.)_  
**Hanji: Maria holds the key to your heart  
and all of Maria's plays a part**

_(More people in the road gathered around them and begun to sing along the excited Hanji)_

**Accordion Player: Just stroll two by two  
Flower Seller: Down what we call 'la rue'**

**Moblit, Hanji and All: And soon all Maria will be singing to you**

_(People and couples begun to dance in the streets twirling, leaping and waltzing)_  
**Ooh la la....**  
Ooh la la....  
Ooh la la....

**Jean: Maria holds the key to l'amor**

**Franz: And not even Franz knows the cure**

_(He sung before he got distracted by a lovely lady and slipped over a banana. She giggled and he blushed. A biplane flew over the city as a man stood along a group of dancers)_

**Flagon: There is love in the air**

**Rico: At the Follies Bergere**

**Artiste: The Maria's people have it to an art**

**All: Maria holds the key to your heart**

_(The group walked in front of a restaurant with a large windmill decorated in many glittering lights and Hanji walked in the middle of a group of posing men)_

**Hanji: When you're feeling blue**  
Come to 'Le Moulin'  
When your heart says 'don't',  
the Marias' say 'do'

 _(She said as she danced, but accidentally knocked over the posing people much to Moblit's dismay. Levi, Erwin and Eren just raised their shoulders in confusion.)_  
**Can-Can Girls: When you think you can't,**  
you'll find you can-can  
Hanji: Everyone can can-can

**Hanji and Can-Can Girls: You can can-can too!**

_(The group sat to a table in the restaurant and Hanji kicked her feet up. Doing so, one of her shoes flew off in the air accidentally. Moblit ran to get it, ending up in the middle of the stage where the can-can dancers were performing._

_The others laughed in amusement at the man's poor attempt to get out the stage and found himself dancing as well.)  
_ **Whee...whee...whee**

_(He finally managed to extricate himself from the dancers and rushed over to Hanji, panting tiredly but holding out her lost shoe. She smiled sweetly at him as she fixed the shoe back up._

_Moblit slumped on the chair next to her, still tired until Hanji gave him a peck on his cheek, causing him to blush and give a dorky smile.)_

_(after a while, a woman invited Levi over to dance. He seemed reluctant until Hanji's taunting face made him frown and get up. Erwin chuckled at Levi's prideful stubbornness and looked at him as he danced gracefully across the ballroom.)_

**Erwin: Paris holds the key to his past**  
Yes, Prince, I found You at last  
( _He sighed in sadness._ )

**No more pretend,  
you'll be gone at the end**

_(After the show, the group reached on top of Maria's arch of triumph, where Hanji, standing on top of a table so everyone could hear her, kept dancing)_

**All: Maria's holds the key to your heart**

**Conturier: You'll be 'tres jolie' and so smart!**

**Ilse: Come dance through the night**

**Roy: And forget all your woes**

_(Roy is making a sculpture of the 'Thinker' as he copies Erwin's thinking pose._

_Later, the group parade across the streets on a car)_

**Hanji and All: The city of light**

**Gelgar: Where a rose is a rose**

_(The group travelled the way up Maria's monumental tower, standing on top of the elevator while singing._

_On top of the tower, the city below them was reduced to may lighten dots as the city sang along with them.)_

**Moblit, Hanji and All: And one never knows what will start  
Maria holds the key**

_(In background, Erwin put away the flower he was wearing before, stuffing it in his pocket with a sigh)_

**Erwin (somberly): to his...**

**Everyone:**

**HEART!**

**Hanji: Ooh la lah....**

**All: Ooh la lah....**

_(People danced Happily around the illuminated fountain plaza in front of the tower as fireworks exploded in the starry sky.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some slight fluff and SO many characters! 
> 
> Until the next chapter. Bye!


	7. Heartbroken

**Chapter 7: Heartbroken**

The city of Maria's Kingdom was illuminated in the dark night by the many colorful lights of houses, clubs and restaurants, soft music could be heard in the streets.

Cars and carriages filed up in front of a big, marble made theater as noblemen and noblewomen walked out their vehicles and into the palace. Erwin and Hanji were sitting at the stairs, dressed in new attires.

Erwin sported a shirt under an all black suit with black pants and shoes; a cylindrical hat with a blue band was on his head while a blue rose was on his eyelet.

Hanji was dressed with a long peach colored dress, slightly orange"pink foulard around her shoulders and light pink earrings. Her hair was styled in a smooth ponytail instead of her usually messy one. She donned peach high heeled shoes and a collar of blue jewels on her neck.

"Calm down, eyebrows." she said as she patted him on the back "We don't have anything to worry about."

"I'm not nervous."

"Then why are you fumbling so much with your eyelet flower?" She asked.

In fact, the poor decoration was pretty messed up.

The blonde sighed in frustration and Hanji offered to fix up the flower for him.

"Look. Since we came here, you did nothing but sigh and look miserable. You can fool me at chess but you can't fool me when you pretend nothing is wrong with you." She said.

"He's the prince." Erwin muttered.

"I know, I know, but…"

"No, you don't know!" The man replied as he stood up.  "I was the boy back then at the palace. The one who opened the wall." He said. "He's the real thing, Hanji."

It took very short for the woman to piece it all back together and her eyes widened.

"But that means…our little Levi has found his family." Hanji beamed in joy "That's amazing! We found the heir of Sina's throne!"

She cheered, but stopped when she noticed something was off with her friend. Her enthusiasm died quickly.

Erwin looked down at the ground, downcast.

"And you…" she begun, looking apologetic.

"Will walk out of his life forever." He cut short with a faint, fake smile as he descended the stairs.

"But…" Hanji tried to reason when the blonde lifted his hand to stop her in her track.

"Princes don't fall in love with brats kicked out the military." he stated.

"I know but-" she protested.

"We're going to go through with this as if nothing has changed, Hanji." Erwin stated firmly. "End of the story."

He began to walk away, leaving Hanji standing alone on the stair.

"But something DID change, Erwin." she stopped him with her words. She walked up to him with a worried expression

"You've got to tell him."

"Tell me what?"

They turned around to see Levi, dressed in dark blue and golden coat, with his never missing white cravat, white pants and black boots. He looked like a true young prince.

"How..." Erwin begun, dazed by the teen's beautiful appearance "How…elegant you look."

"Well, thanks…big-ass tree." Levi joked.

"So, shall we go?" Moblit asked, dressed in white shirt, black vest and black pants and shoes.

Levi and Erwin walked toward the entrance of the theater while Hanji looked at them and sighed, shaking her head slightly.

>\---!---<

Levi walked up the stairs that lead to the upper floors. The fine sienna-colored marble was so polished you could see your own reflection in it. People dressed in elegant garments were at the sides of the stairs, chatting with the other guests.

He stopped for a brief moment and looked downstairs at Erwin, who was handing his coat and hat to the valet of the party. When the blonde turned to him, he gave a gentle smile.

To think they made it this far gave some sense of pride and comfort to the blonde. He was now relieved that Levi could be finally be safe, back where he belonged…

Thought…it also meant to lose him.

"So?" Levi called out, reeling Erwin back into reality "Are you coming or not?"

The blonde laughed softly to himself. No matter how regal he was; his little Levi would remain the usual smart-talking thug he met in Sina just some days ago.

He walked up the stair back to the teen before they made their way together to the upper floor.

>\---!---<

"Uh. Fancy." Hanji whistled as she sat on her chair and crossed her arms behind her head as she relaxed. "Top floor seats, binoculars and silk cushions….The empress sure IS generous with her gifts."

"Well, she IS super rich, remember?" Levi replied.

Erwin scanned the room with the binoculars in search of the royal woman when he spotted her sitting on the upper floor by the other side of the theater.

"Look, there she is." the man said to the teen, passing him the binoculars.

The empress was dressed in long refined purple garments and a crown of diamonds rested on her head. Next to her, Moblit was chatting the wait away with her.

" _Hope she does remember me…_ " Levi thought to himself.

The performance begun with a representation of Cinderella's story, with the three actresses reciting the role of the poor princess and her two wicked step-sisters. The show continued on and on.

As time flew by, Levi found himself fidgeting and toying with his white gloves.

The ballet continued between a pirouette and a plié. The teen groaned as he slouched on his seat. Behind him, Hanji's loud snoring could beat out the orchestra's music.

Levi huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose, stressed out and bored.

A large hand reached out to pull away his own from his face and entwined their fingers together. The boy looked to his right to see Erwin smiling at him with reassurance.

"Everything is going to be fine." He said, remarking it by giving the smaller hand a slight squeeze "I promise you."

The raven haired teen stared at him in surprise, but calmed down and nodded, forcing himself to relax and enjoy the rest of the show.

They didn't let go of each other's hands until the very end of the play.

Finally, after some more performing, the orchestra played the final note and the red curtains closed. General applause erupted through the crowd as people rose from their seats and clapped their hands. Not so long after, the guests begun to flood out the room and back into the hallways.

"Come on, I guess it's time." Erwin said as he stood up and led Levi out.

Hanji's head lolled to her side until she fell over and woke up with a start.

"Eh? Uh? It's over already?" She asked "Uh, guys? Guys?! Wait for meee!!!"

>\---!---<

"Relax, you're going to be great." Hanji chirped as she, Levi and Erwin walked through the hallways. "Just take a deep breath like I do. Inhale…" she took in a large gulp of breath.

"…And exhal-MPH!"

Before she could let air out, Levi stamped his open palm on her face, denying her release.

"I'm NOT nervous." he hissed.

"Sure." Erwin said sarcastically "Because fidgeting and toying with your gloves and barely sitting in your skin through the entire performance shows just how calm you are."

"Tch." The teen let go of Hanji's face, allowing her to breathe again.

The woman decided to stay aside and wait, but in truth, she followed them furtively, hiding behind the columns of the theater.

Shortly after, Levi and Erwin made their way to the door of the empress's room. The door the two men walked up to was the only one with a fine red doormat in front of it.

Erwin stopped.

"Wait here. I'll go in and announce you properly." he stated before going to knock at the door.

"Oi, Erwin." Levi called out.

"Yes?" the blonde asked as he turned to the teen.

"Look. I…We've been through a shitload of stuff…" he said "And…I just wanted to…" the boy struggled with his own words.

Hiding behind a column, Hanji watched the scene with trepidation.

_"Go on…tell him…"_ she whispered hopefully, crossing her fingers in good luck.

The raven haired teen opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he just looked away.

"I…Just wanted to thank you. That's all."

Hanji's jaw went slack and face palmed. _"Fuck."_

Erwin's hopeful smile faded slightly, but he didn't want to show it so openly. He just nodded politely.

"Y-You're welcome. And…I wish you good luck." he said as he extended his hand for Levi.

"Yeah. Thanks." The teen replied as he shook the blonde's hand. He felt slightly disappointed with himself, through.

The blonde turned again to open the door and walk inside, but he didn't shut it properly as it remained slightly open without him noticing.

"Please inform Her Majesty, the dowager empress that I have found her grandson, the grand Duke Rivaille." Erwin announced to Moblit.

Still sitting in her chair, the empress turned around with a frown.

"He's waiting to see her, just outside the door." The blonde stated.

"I'm very sorry, sir." Moblit begun "But the dowager empress, she will see no one." he said as he nodded and let Erwin pass through the curtains.

The blonde nodded. Everything was going just as they had accorded to organize the meeting with Levi and the empress.

"You may tell the impertinent young man…" she said with annoyance "That I have seen enough 'Grand Duke Rivailles' to last me a lifetime."

Both men exchanged glances. This wasn't planned.

"Uh…you'd better go." Moblit whispered to the other.

Erwin however remained there. "Please, let me just…"

"Now, if you'll excuse me." the empress cut him short. "I wish to live out the remainder of my lonely life in peace."

The count sighed as he pulled the curtains of the seat panel close. "I'll see you to the door." He said to the woman.

"I'm sorry." Moblit apoligized to Erwin "Come on, we should go."

He walked away to the exit, but the blonde just pretended to follow before breaking off and walking back to the curtains, flung them open and walk through.

"Your majesty." he begun "I intend you no harm." he sat at the seat on the empress's right.

"My name is Erwin Smith. I used to be a trainee of the Royal Guards at the palace."

"Well…that's one I haven't heard I must say." She replied before walking off, undignified.

"Wait. Don't go, please." The man pleaded as he stood in between the empress and the curtains. "If you'll just hear me…"

"I know what you're after." the woman hissed "I've seen it before. Men who train young men in the royal ways." She stormed past the blonde and pulled at a rope.

"But if Your Highness will just listen…" Erwin tried to explain.

"Haven't you been listening? I've had enough!"

Meanwhile; Levi was still outside, waiting to be finally introduced, but it was taking time. He crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot impatiently.

_"Why it is taking so long?"_ he through to himself _"Is he taking the longest shit in the world or what?"_

The boy walked back and forth, mumbling to himself when he noticed the half-closed door. He just couldn't stand anything messy and went to close it properly.

He just grabbed the handle when voices fluttered out the gap.

"I don't care how much you have fashioned this boy to look like him…"

Levi froze on the spot. Were they talking about him? He opened the door slightly enough to peek inside and saw Moblit, the empress and Erwin talking.

"Sound like him or act like him. In the end it never is him." the woman recounted as she rested a hand on a counter.

"This time it is him." the blonde insisted with more vehemence.

"Mr. Smith." the empress said suddenly, as if remembered something.

"I've heard of you. You were the son of a royal guard. But you turned into a con man in Sina who was holding auditions to find a Rivaille look-alike." she pointed at the man.

Outside the door, Levi's eyes widened in shock, grey turning thin as pinpricks.

Auditions? Look-alike? What were they…

"But, Your grace." Erwin stated "We've come all the way from Sina just to…"

"And others have come from Timbuktu." she dismissed.

"It's not that!" he exclaimed as he grabbed the empress' hand in an attempt to convince her "It's not what you think."

"How much pain will you inflict on an old woman for money?" the woman hissed, swatting his hand away "Remove him at once!"

Levi's hold on the knob loosened as if his arm had lost all strength. He stared at an undefined spot in front of him and stepped back.

He reached a hand to his head as he felt it spin from a swirl of emotions. Everything pieced itself back together. This is why they wanted him so bad back then. This is why they were 'helping' him. They were using him.

His heart clenched painfully in his chest, before a more fiery sensation crawled out.

"But he is Rivaille, I'm telling you!" Erwin insisted as two guards forcefully dragged him away despite his resistance. "He is the grand duke. If you'll only speak to him, you'll see."

He was thrown out the room and into the red mat outside. The blonde groaned in pain as he sat up when the door slammed shut.

He sighed and turned, only to meet with a couple of tall black boots.

Erwin looked up and saw Levi staring down at him, his grey eyes shadowed by the bangs. His face, as always, betrayed no particular emotion, but something in the teen was off.

"So…this is what it was all about. Uh?" the boy whispered.

Through he seemed calm; Erwin noticed the boy's tightly clenched fists and the slight tremble of his shoulders.

"Levi, look, this isn't…" he tried to explain when a boot suddenly collided with his face."Gah!"

"YOU USED ME!" The teen shouted.

"N-no, it may have started out that way but it's different now…" the blonde said as he recovered from the hit as best as he could and stood up "You really are Rivaille!"

"SHUT UP!" the boy roared "I was just part of your con to get the reward, isn't it?! Just a pawn of your shitty game!"

"Levi, please." Erwin begun "When you spoke of the hidden door in the wall, the boy…"

"No! I don't want to hear anything about what I said or remembered! Leave me alone!" the raven haired boy shouted as he walked off but was stopped when Erwin grabbed his arm.

"Wait, just let me…!"

This caused Levi to react out of reflex. He kicked the blonde in the solar plexus causing the man to bend over and then landed a strong right on his face, making the other fall to the ground in pain.

"You lied!" the boy shouted before landing a kick on the taller man's stomach. "From the very start you did nothing but lie to me!"

It didn't stop there. Levi, flying into a rage, begun to beat Erwin up mercilessly, the blonde not attempting to defend himself from the blows.

After a few more beatings, the teen had grown tired. He stared down at the wreck of what he thought of a friend as he remained on the floor, bruised and bloody but still alive.

"I hate you." Levi hissed. "I don't want to see you anymore." he then stormed off down the hallway.

Erwin remained sprawled on the ground, beaten and broken in many than just physical. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling over him before the blurry figure of Hanji hovered above him.

"Erwin? Erwin! Can you hear me?" she asked worried as she knelt down to the fallen man "God, what happened to you?"

The blonde said nothing, just staring up when he sighed in sadness.

"I fucked up Hanji…" he said "I fucked up real bad…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Levi would do MUCH more than just a slap in the face :T


	8. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being so late!!!

**Ch 8: Goodbye**

Erwin rested against a column outside of the theater in the chilly night of Maria's Kingdom.

Just a few hours ago, everything seemed just about to get fixed.

Levi would have returned to be the rightful heir to the throne of Sina, get the family he never had, become someone important while Hanji would have finally have the money to open her own medical center and marry Moblit as she always dreamed, and Erwin would have travelled across the world, exploring far away countries as he wanted.

Until he screwed up.

From the day he found the little street-boy back in the city of Sina and thought to make him pass for the lost prince Rivaille to just a few hours before, he had developed a strong feeling for him. His true objective faded with each passing day the little boy had carved his way into his heart.

But now He was gone.

_"I hate you!"_

Erwin sighed and rubbed his eyes. He had to fix this. Make up for it.

"You shouldn't have learned of it…not like this at least…." he murmured apologetic.

"Ehy."

The blonde looked up to see Hanji with a faint, friendly smile on her face; through the eyes behind her glasses showed the concern.

"Hope you aren't going to give up just like that. Because I know you…" she begun "You would never leave things like this, right?"

The man casted his eyes to the ground again, shaking his head.

"He hates me."

"I'm sure he doesn’t."

"You did not see the look on his face." Erwin said "I hurt him, Hanji. I betrayed his trust, and now he will never forgive me…"

They remained in silence until the woman noticed a figure walking out the theater. She tapped the blonde's shoulder.

"Maybe…but I think you still have a chance to see him once again." she said.

Erwin looked up at her with a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes "How?"

She said nothing but pointed at something behind him and he turned. It was the empress, walking out the palace dressed in her large coat walking to her carriage that waited for her just outside.

Erwin turned to Hanji again, unsure of what to do.

"Go get her, tiger. Fix this whole mess." she commanded "Or do you want to just leave things like this?"

The man understood and smiled gratefully at his friend.

"Thank you, Hanji. Now I know what I have to do."

The valet opened the door of the car, inviting the empress to aboard. Erwin snuck his way around the car without being noticed and took the driver's seat as soon as the door closed.

He geared up the car and drove off fast, causing the royal woman to stumble in the backseats.

"Oh, Ilya, slow down!" she ordered.

"Sorry, but I'm not Ilya." Erwin replied. "And I won't slow down, not until you listen."

"You? How dare you?!" the empress exclaimed indignant. "Stop this car immediately!"

The man ignored her protests and kept driving through the city until they reached the small hotel where the group was housed in, courtesy of Moblit.

He stopped the car and climbed out the driver seat before opening the empress's door and standing his ground.

"You HAVE to talk to him." he stated firmly "Just look at him at least, please."

"I won't be badgered by you a moment longer." the woman spat.

Erwin groaned to himself in frustration. What could he do to convince that stubborn old rag to just give Levi a chance?

He then remembered and fished in his jacket's pocket to pull out the small, green and silver jewelry box.

"Do you recognize this?" he asked as he held it out to the empress.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise and slowly, she reached out to take the small rounded object from his hands and view it closer.

"Where did you get this?" she asked.

"I know you've been hurt…but it's just possible that he has been as lost and alone as you." Erwin said.

The empress continued to stare nostalgically at the carillon in her hand. Memories of a lost family flowing back from ten years ago.

She sighed but smiled. "You'll stop at nothing, will you?"

The blonde chuckled quietly "I'm probably about as stubborn as you are." he said "A certain young man taught me that…"

>\---!---<

Levi panted tiredly as he stood in the middle of the crashed room.

When he found out the true purpose of why Hanji and Erwin had brought him to Maria's kingdom, dressed and acting like a true prince, the teen took the first taxi back to the hotel and did nothing but trash and destroy anything that dared to cross his eyesight.

Broken mirrors and lamps, scattered papers, pillows tossed to the ground and flipped chairs littered the fine carpet of the room.

Eren, who so far stayed at the hotel, went to hide under the bed to avoid become an unwanted victim of the boy's fit of rage as soon as he heard the door slam closed. The pup had his ears down and tail between his legs while he hid.

Levi always seemed angry, but this time he looked completely out of his mind with fury.

The teen growled in rage, kicking away a bag that was on his path before he sat on the ground under the window and hid his face in his hands.

He wanted to scream, to break something, to punch the wall until his knuckles bled.

But he couldn't. After burning his stamina on the apartment's furniture he was just done. He felt so tired and angry and stupid.

Stupid for giving away his trust so easily to a couple of strangers, for even trying to go along with the plan, to believe he could find the family he never had…Stupid for falling for those clear blue eyes and gentle smile that saved him before.

" _You bastard…_ " he exhaled shakily " _I hate you. I hate you so much and yet…_ " he trailed off, before reclining his head backward to lean into the wall and close his eyes in sadness.

" _And yet…I can't…_ "

Something nuzzled his elbow. Looking down, Levi saw Eren's big, sad eyes looking up at him as the pup whimpered. The boy picked him up, settling the dog on his lap and hugging him.

"What should I do?" He sighed.

The door knocked a couple times and Eren hopped off Levi's lap when the boy stood up.

"Go away, Erwin!" He shouted.

The door opened anyway, but instead of the tall blonde man stood an old woman with white combed hair and light grey eyes, dressed in elegant purple garments.

"Oh." Levi said, taken aback "I thought you were…"

"I know very well who you thought I was." She cut him short "Who exactly are you?"

The teen looked at her, unsure of what to answer.

"Levi…through I was hoping you could tell me."

"Dear boy…I'm old, and tired of being conned and tricked." the empress said as she walked up to him.

"I don't want to trick you." He added.

"And I suppose the money doesn't interest you, either?" she asked.

Levi just stared at her through narrowed eyes "I just want answers. I want to know who I am." he stated "Whenever or not I belong to a family. Your family…"

The old woman looked at him, viewing the teen carefully before smiling.

"You're a very good actor. Best yet, in fact but…I've had enough." she said before walking toward the door.

Levi just stood there when his nose caught a whiff of a familiar scent.

"Peppermint?"

"An oil for my hands." she replied.

The teen couldn't find yet a concrete answer, but something in his mind was shakily trying to remember. He viewed a large room with a carpet, a chair, someone being there and the faint scent of peppermint.

"Yes…I…spilled a bottle. The carpet was soaked and…it always smelled of peppermint…like you." he recalled.

The empress stopped at the door before turning to him slightly, surprised.

"I…used to lie there on that rug…missing you when you went away…And no matter what I did…I always felt angry because I dirtied that carpet back then…"

The woman silently walked back in and sat on the bed and motioned to the boy to sit next to her. He did so and the empress then noticed something hanging from on his neck.

"What is that?" she asked curiously.

Levi looked at his necklace that was always hidden under the cravat.

"This? I've always had it ever since before I can remember…" he told her.

"May I?" she asked, holding out her hand.

The boy carefully removed his necklace and handed it over to the woman, who took it and looked at it nostalgically.

"It was our secret…" she sighed "My Rivaille's and mine."

The empress then took out her purse the small green, blue and silver jewelry box. Levi's eyed widened in surprise.

"The music box." he took the small object carefully in his hands "To sing me to sleep when you were in Maria's reign…"

He then took back the key the empress was handing to him and he inserted the small winged key into the keyhole, giving it a few trying twists.

Slowly, the carillon's lid lifted up and a couple of ebony haired man and woman begun to dance in circles as a soft music lifted in the air.

"Hear this song and remember…"

**_Soon you'll be_ **

**_home with me_ **

_(He looked up to see the empress singing along with him. Her eyes swelling up with tears.)_

**_Once upon a December…_ **

"Oh, Rivaille." She cried and wrapped her arms around her grandson, crying hot tears in joy. "My Rivaille."

Levi was initially stunned, but he soon returned her hug. A sensation of great happiness swelled up inside of him. Finally he remembered everything, and he was home.

Outside, Erwin witnessed the event from the street through the window and smiled. He made it. Levi was finally home.

He bid a silent goodbye before walking away in the cold night.

It was going to rain soon.

>\---!---<

Thunders and rain poured down heavily on Maria's capital. On top of a tall clock tower, Zeke walked through the large gears and the droplets of rain falling through the roof.

"Bertolt! Get me a comb. Find some cologne. I want to look my best."  He ordered while the small bat ran back and forth to get the items.

"That might take some work, sir." He said meekly.

"Then snap to it!" the wizard shouted "We're going to a party." He said and slammed down on the table a newspaper with the title in large blocky letters reading _"Royal Party planned. Ackerman Prince found"_.

"A party in Maria's kingdom?" Bertolt asked.

"Right."

"Oh! I know. I could teach you the latest dance step if you want." he said before he begun to move his hips left and right "It's starts with, a Woah! And then you get really crazy with the hips. It's fun."

Zeke didn't mind the bat as he paced across the room with his hands behind his back, deep in thoughts.

"We'll let the Grand Duke Rivaille have his moment." he grinned "And then we'll kill him." 

He slammed his fist on the newspaper, causing Bertolt to stumble and fall on his ass.

"K-kill him? But Sir, what happened to the party idea?" he asked.

"That's where we'll kill him. Crush him at the height of his glory." The madman spat as he grabbed the paper and ripped it off in tiny, flying pieces.

"And…back to the crushing." Bertolt mumbled disappointed. The photo of Rivaille fluttered and landed on his face and he pulled it off. "Sir, I'm begging you. Please. Just forget the boy and get a life…if, I can say that, sir…" he added.

"Oh, I'll get a life, Bertolt." Zeke said amiably before he grabbed the prince's photo and crumpled it in his hand.

"His."

He laughed evilly as thunders and rains fell down from the black sky.

>\---!---<

The empress laughed quietly at the memory. She and Levi were at her palace, exchanging anecdotes of their past. The boy smiled faintly as he looked at a photo of him with his whole family, back in the times prior to the revolution.

"I remember now how much I loved them…through dad was quite a jackass…" he noted.

"Kenny always had been…particularly spirited. His sweet wife was the only one who could calm that hot-head of his." the grandmother chuckled.

The prince nodded as he looked back at the photo in his hands. How he wished he could remember more of his time with them. How happy he had been there.

A warm hand covered one of his and he looked up.

"They would not want us to live in the past. Not now that we have found each other." the old woman said as she gently squeezed his hand in reassurance. "Look here."

She took out from the small basket next to her chair a drawing and handed it to him. "The drawing you gave me. Remember?"

He nodded as he took the yellowish paper in his hands.

"Yes. Nile made me so mad. He said he looked like a pig riding a donkey." he muttered "He was…kind of right." he admitted, looking at the draw sideways.

They then laughed heartily.

"In your laughter, once again, I heard my Kenny…your dear father." she said.

The empress rose from her seat, inviting Levi to follow her over to a counter where rested a large box. She opened it to reveal a golden crown with a blue stone on the left, a green one on the right and a white one in the center. She took it and walked up to her grandson.

"You have your father's fiery spirit, but you have the eyes and beauty of your mother, Kuchel..." she said as she set the crown on top of Levi's head and turned him to the mirror. "Empress of all Sina."

Levi stared at his reflection in the mirror, the golden crown shining brightly in the light. It meant great responsibility also…and he wouldn't let his people down.

>\---!---<

Erwin bowed respectfully to the empress. He had been called in the morning when Hanji rushed in his room, jumped on top of the bed like child on Christmas and told him that the royalty had requested his presence at the palace as soon as possible.

"You sent for me, Your Grace?" he asked.

The empress, who stood by her desk, opened a bag containing a lot of shining golden coins.

"Ten million coins of gold, as promised, with my gratitude." she said gratefully.

"I accept your gratitude, Your Highness." he nodded "But I don't want the money."

This left confused the old woman but she then smiled in acknowledgement.

"What do you want then?" she asked.

The blonde shook his head, smiling faintly.

"Unfortunately, nothing you can give." He answered. He already knew what he wanted, but he also knew why he would never have that.

He bowed once again before he started to walk away, but was stopped by the empress's words.

"Young man, where did you get that music box?" She asked curiously.

He remained silent, unsure of what to say. Did she suspected something?

"You were the boy, weren't you? The young trainee who got us out."

He sighed. Even if he admitted he was, it wouldn't change anything on his current situation. He had come to love someone, but that wasn't going to happen.

"You saved his life and mine, then you restored him to Me." she recalled "Yet…you want no reward."

"Not anymore." he stated.

"Why the change of mind?" she asked again.

There was silence for seconds, through it felt like minutes.

"…It was more a change of heart." Erwin answered at least. "I must go."

With a last polite bow, he walked out closing the door behind him.

The empress stared at the door with understanding in her eyes. She smiled faintly as he already told her, in his own words, what she already knew.

As Erwin descended the stairs he saw a small, black haired young man walking up to him. He was dressed in a long, navy-blue and golden coat with matching white pants, mostly covered by the long brown boots. Those sharp, stormy grey eyes looking right at him.

Levi.

They stopped at the stairs, staring silently at each other. Levi, as usual, had the same glare.

He would have never thought he would miss a glare like that…

"Hello, Erwin." Levi greeted flatly, breaking the silence.

"Hello." He answered back.

"Did you collect your reward?" the teen asked. A small hint of bitterness rolled out with his words and he did not even try to hold it back. The anger was still there, burning and palpable almost.

"My business is complete." The blonde replied, calm as usual.

"Excuse me, sir." A tall blonde guard with blonde short beard and mustache piped in from the base of the stairs. "You will bow and address the prince as 'His Highness'"

"That's not…" Levi said when Erwin raised a hand, stopping him.

"Please, Your Highness." He said as he bowed. "I'm glad you found what you were looking for."

"Yeah, I'm glad you did too."

They stared at each other, unsure of what to say, when Erwin decided it lasted long enough.

"Well, then…goodbye, Your Highness." With a bow, he descended the stair and walked away.

Levi felt the sudden urge to stop him, to say something, but the blonde was already gone. He understood.

"Goodbye…" he muttered.

>\---!---<

Hanji was humming a song as she looked at herself in the mirror while she fixed up her orange dress and her still-messy ponytail.

Eren, who was dressed with a small crown, a proper collar and a belt with a couple of toy swords on both sides walked up to her and stared at his own reflection with curiosity.

The pup pouted and shook his head vigorously, causing the fastidious hat to fall off.

"Oh my gosh, Eren! You look fa-fa-fabolous!" the woman beamed.

Eren jumped in her arms and she sat him on a fine column-like table by her side.

"Do you mind? No, of course not. You're a wonderful pup." She said as she pulled the medal on Eren's collar off. The dog let out a relieved puff as more weigh was lifted off of him.

Hanji went to fix the medal on her own dress when she heard someone behind her clearing his throat.

In the mirror, she saw Erwin standing by the door.

"Well, if you're ever in Sina's capital again, look me up." He said.

She turned at him in surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"There is nothing left for me anymore here." The blonde said. "So long Hanji." He extended his hand for her, when she rushed up at him and hugged him close.

"Erwin, you big dumbass…" she muttered."Always racking your brain with all the ways to avoid fails and yet you're making a mistake."

He pushed her away gently. "Trust me, this is the one thing I'm doing right." He stated.

Eren whimpered and the blonde petted him in the head. "So long, mutt."

The pup looked at him with sad eyes, biting the sleeve of Erwin's jacket and give a few tugs.

"I can't stay. I don't belong here."

"You're still making a mistake!" Hanji said exasperated. "Don't you see that?! You need Levi. And believe it or not, I'm sure he NEEDS you too!"

"Hanji." Erwin cut her short. "That's enough. I thank you for everything. You've been a faithful friend all these years."

He then sighed. "But there is the time when someone has just to stop dreaming."

She looked at him sadly. "But…"

"Everything is fine now, Hanji. I'll see again back in sina, someday." The blonde added before he walked away, stopping briefly by the door.

"Hanji. Eren." He called.

The both looked at him as he glanced over his shoulder.

"Take care of Levi…for me."

"As if you have to ask, you dumbass." Hanji smiled faintly at him.

Eren yapped in agreement.

Erwin smiled at them before he made his way out.

Alone, the woman sighed.

 _"You always say to open our eyes, Erwin…"_ she thought sadly _"But then, you can be very blind yourself…"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost finished! I'm not too proud of this one but the yaoi force isn't with me lately... 2 chapters more to go and finally i can get over with the...(grin-grin) Yaoiness for the bonus >:D


	9. Return

**Chapter 9: Return**

The great ballroom's ceiling was richly decorated by elegant strings of lights and people danced gracefully across the marble floor of the room while other guests on the upper floors chatted and made toasts in honor of the lost prince's return.

It wasn't just a welcoming party however, for Rivaille would have also been properly introduced to the society as he would have been a few years ago, as the tradition stated. All good reasons of why the party had to be as majestic as possible.

Eren stood by the red silk chair in the back of the ballroom where the royal would sit. He yawned in boredom and looked as if he was about to fall asleep.

Levi stared at the scene from behind the red curtains, looking as neutral as always, except for the slightly furrowed brow.

"He's not here." Her grandmother said behind him.

"I know he's not. He…" Levi muttered mindlessly when he stopped, frowning. "Who's not there, grandma?"

She just smiled at him in acknowledgment and a hint of mischief.

"A remarkable blonde man who found a music box." She said as she opened the curtains and peeked out as well.

"No, he's probably too busy spending the shitty money as fast as he can." Levi growled as he closed the curtain and walked back in the backroom with an angry frown.

The empress said nothing but gestured for her grandson to come closer again. He obeyed and stood once again by her side.

"Look at them dance." She said, gesturing to the nobles partying.  "You were born into this world of glittering jewels and fine titles…" she the sighed "But I wonder if this is what you really want."

Levi looked outside again and let out a sigh. Even through he had now found his family, who he was, everything was just too different. It almost felt suffocating. He felt a reassuring hand rest on his shoulder and he looked at his grandmother.

"Of course it is." Levi answered. "I found what I was looking for. I found out who I am. I found you…"

"Yes, you did find me, and you'll always have me." She said softly and hugged her grandson "But is it enough?" she added.

Levi opened his mouth to answer 'yes' but didn't voice it, stunned with silence. He looked down with a sigh and turned at the ballroom again.

Knowing that he wasn't going to talk about this any further, the empress revealed to him about his previous conversation with Erwin.

"He didn't take the money." She revealed then.

Levi arched an eyebrow in confusion and mild surprise. "He didn't?"

She shook her head. "Knowing that you are alive, seeing the man you have become brings me joy I never thought I could feel again." She said as she gave his shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"Whatever you choose…we will always have each other." The empress smiled before she walked to the curtains.

Levi remained there, thoughtful and confused. What did she meant?

"Grandma, can't you tell me-?" he asked, when he noticed the closing curtain. She was already gone.

He stared at an undefined spot before him, deep in his thoughts. He reached out for the curtain to enter the ballwoom when he hesitated. The prince watched the people dancing outside, so much like his memories, like back then…in that ship…back in Sina…back when he met Him…

He closed his eyes with a sigh, letting the curtain fall.

Levi felt so confused. He hated to feel like this. His thoughts shifting continuously between what he felt right and what he wanted. He wanted to remain with his family, but he also felt incomplete...like something was amiss...

What did he wanted?

Unconsciously, Levi ran his hand over the soft, white silk of his cravat. Even when he was mad back then in the hotel room the other night, he didn't felt in the right to rip or damage it. It was the first gift he received in many, many years if not the very first gift he received at all. It was special.

It was still hard for him to fix up…and when he let the valets tie it for him, it didn't felt as right as when Erwin did it.

How could he make a choice he might regret?

BARK BARK!

Levi jumped in surprise, snapped out of his thoughts by Eren's loud yapping. The boy saw the shepherd pup run across the hallway and toward the open window, out in the balcony that led to the inner gardens of the palace.

"Eren?" 

The pup didn't stop and rushed down the stairs, still barking at something invisible before him.

The prince followed him outside, and stood by the rail until he spotted the dog running across the large bush labyrinth, one that stretched all around the fountain in the courtyard

"Eren. Get over here." Levi called as he descended the stairs. He followed the puppy across the garden and into the labyrinth's door. "Eren. Get back here, you brat."

As eren's barks faded away in the deeps of the labyrinth, Levi followed as well; but he didn't notice the plants crawling and growing to form a spiky wall that blocked the entrance, while the eyes of the two gargoyle statues on top of the door glowed green.

>\---!---<

Erwin, with his large, heavy coat and his bag in his hand, stood in line at the train station that would have brought him back to the cold winter of Sina's city.

Hopefully, this wasn't going to be a bumpy ride as his last trip.

He sighed as his turn neared. He fished for his documents in his pocket when he felt something different from a card. It was soft but also spiky in some points.

Erwin pulled out a blue rose from his pocket and stared at it in confusion when memories of music, dance and fun in Maria's night surfaced. He smiled as he stared at the flower.

Delicate but far from weak…

"You're next." The woman behind him said.

>\---!---<

"Eren, you shitty brat. I don't want to play." Levi growled as he walked across a small plaza in the dark labyrinth.

His senses never betrayed him when it came to dangerous situations. It was something he gained from a life in the streets, more out of a necessity for survival.

Something wasn't right. There was too much silence that even the pup's yips couldn't be heard anymore.

The light behind him died out with an eerie sound, causing the prince to turn around with his senses on high alert.

He reached for the knife in his belt, surprised when he felt that his trusty weapon wasn't there.

_Right. Erwin took it back then in the train._

_Fuck._

Another light lit from the next door and Eren's barks echoed again.

Levi narrowed his eyes.

The only thing he had for a weapon was a long, thin sword that came with the standard prince outfit. It wasn't a dagger and Levi wasn't sure on how to properly use it. Looks like he had to make do.

He took the sword out of the sheath and, carefully, he treaded toward the unknown.

He crossed the door successfully but as soon as he did, it shut close by a wall of leaves and branches.

"Eren. Come out there, now." Levi ordered, his worries growing.

The pup finally hopped out a bush, yipping happily. The boy crouched so the dog could leap in his arms and carry him out.

"Good. Now let's…"

 _"Rivaille…"_ a ghostly voice whispered in the air.

The teen looked around warily, eyes narrowed to slits as he rose to his feet, the pup in his arms while he brandished the sword with his right hand.

Levi growled. He started to feel too vulnerable for his taste and that he never felt like this. He quickly made his way to the next door, maybe he could reach another exit.

 _"Rivaille…"_ the voice taunted again, closer this time.

The prince looked left and right at the next turn, still focused on getting out. He ran down a street when suddenly, tentacles of branches, spikes and leaves shot out the plants to grab him.

_'Shit!'_

He whirled around, using the sword to cut the branches before they could get a hold of him. The more he tried to cut, the more seemed to come out and he was left with no choice but to run.

He ran across the tangling trees and bushes, leaping over falling trunks and shooting roots,  dodging branches and spikes until he was finally out the garden, tripping and falling in front of a large bridge that crossed the large rivers and led to a big palace. Maria's signature tower could be seen afar across in the mist

Levi pulled himself up and dusted himself off while Eren stood by his side, shaking to get the occasional leaves off him. Suddenly, the pup crouched down and growled, with the fur on his back standing up.

"Rivaille." The voice hissed behind him.

The prince turned as well and then he saw, hidden the thick fog, a bowing tall man with rounded glasses, beard and wearing large, dark robes.

"Your Imperial Highness." The man greeted, but his voice betrayed the malice and disgust. "Look what 10 years has done to us. You, a strong young prince…And me a rotting corpse." He sneered.

Levi glared at the man. A long forgotten memory and a most recent nightmare bubbled in his mind.

"You…" he seethed.

"Last seen at a party like this one." The madman grinned.

"The curse."

"Followed by a tragic night on the ice. Remember?" the wizard taunted, lifting his relic up high.

The cursed object glowed as streams of green light erupted from it, engulfing the bridge like a river and covering it in a thin layer of ice that froze the waters below , the strength of its wave caused Levi to fall back.

He stood up again, with his coat and hair showing small sparkles of ice drops.

"Zeke…" he growled hatefully.

" _'Zeke'_ " the madman mimicked him, with a fake shocked face. "Destroyed by your despicable family." He scorned as he pointed an accusatory finger at the boy. "But…" he then smirked "What goes around comes around and around and round and round!"

Tiny green demons flowed out the relic, circling around Levi and attacking him. They grabbed and thorn his coat, pulled at his hair and even through the prince did manage to cut down a few of them, they still swarmed him from all sides.

"You bastards, get off!" Levi shouted in anger as he cut down another demon, only for another one to pull at the collar of his coat, causing him to stagger backward.

Bertolt flew to rest on top of a pillar, watching the scene unfold below.

"Oh, my…" he gulped worriedly "Better leave things between them. This can only end in tears…"

With a last slash of sword, the last of the demons disappeared.

Levi panted tiredly, hair messy and clothes thorn in various places. He glared with defiance and hate at the wizard.

"I'm not afraid of you." He growled.

"Oh, I can fix that." Zeke gloated as he grasped his relic "Care for a little swim under the ICE?"

The artifact blasted out a powerful beam that cut the piece of stone bridge where Levi stood, causing it to crack and tilt down toward the river.

The prince lost his balance, falling and sliding across the stone floor and toward the ice. He managed to jab his sword in the ground, using it as grapple. The piece of bridge was barely still attached to the main body by the strings of iron of the inner structure, but the weight of the stone was making it quickly slide off.

"Say your prayers, Rivaille!" the wizard laughed "No one can save you!"

"Don't be so sure!" someone shouted and Levi's eyes widened in surprise.

A punch flew right into Zeke's face, throwing him by the edge of the broken bridge. It caused the relic to shot out a beam and hit the ice, causing a large hole in it.

Levi struggled to pull himself up without falling down and saw a tall blonde man standing by the edge where he just shortly before had downed the wizard.

"Erwin!" he called out.

The man slid down the falling bridge and up to the teen, using his own sword as grapple and extended his hand for Levi to take.

"You took your precious time, you asshole." The prince greeted with a smirk as he grabbed the blonde's hand and was helped up to his feet.

"You can thank me later." Erwin replied.

The boy pulled out his sword, stabbing it in the stone to escalate the bridge.

"How enchanting." Zeke mocked before them. "Together again. For the last time."

He shot out a stream of demons from the relic that flew down to push Erwin away from Levi despite they tried to hold on each other.

"You'll get a kick out of this." The madman laughed as the demons dropped the blonde on a large pegasus sculpture on top of the pillar.

The statue's wings then flapped and the now cursed beast reared and kicked out.

 _"This ain't good…"_ Erwin thought to himself as he tried to don't fall off.

Levi climbed up his way to the edge of the bridge, letting out a curse under his breath as he saw the now alive statue take flight with Erwin holding on for dear life.

The winged horse flew toward the ground, slamming in it and the impact caused the blonde to lose his grip and fall off. He recovered quickly and rolled out the way before the statue could crush him under its hooves.

The beast reared, flapping its wings and the gust of wind pushed the blonde against a wall of debris.

With his sword lost, he grasped a loosen iron tube to defend himself.

"Erwin!" Levi called out when he almost climbed up the bridge. He failed to notice, however, Zeke rushing toward him.

"Watch out!" the blonde shouted, swinging the tube at the statue.

The wizard grasped Levi by the hair, lifting him up to stare in his eyes.

The prince let out a grunt of pain and glared at his foe.

"Farewell, Your Highness." Zeke smirked evilly as he let go.

The bridge's bars gave out and the rest of it pummeled down in the icy river, causing a larger gap in the ice. But Levi was quicker and managed to get a hold on one of the iron bars. He dangled dangerously over the freezing waters.

"Hold on!" Erwin called out as he dodged another stomp from the statue.

"Finally, the last Ackerman death." Zeke gloated and laughed at the boy's vain attempts to climb back up. But he let out a sudden yelp when sharp teeth dug into his leg.

Eren chomped down hard on the wizard's leg viciously, scratching with his nails at the undead's skin.

The madman growled and shot from his relic a small beam at the pup. A demon pulled Eren away, tumbling down across the floor and the shepherd engaged the small monster in a fight.

Zeke scoffed and stood by the edge of the river again. This time, Levi wasn't there. Instead, below, there were large circles in the crippled waters as if something had fallen down in it.

"Yes!"

"No! Levi!" Erwin called out. He rushed toward the edge, about to jump down to save the teen when the statue of the pegasus dashed out from below and knocked him back.

He landed on his back with a pained grunt and got back to his feet. He wasn't going to give up.

"Long live the Ackermans." The madman cackled in victory. Finally, after a decade, his curse was complete at last.

"Right…" Someone scoffed by his side.

Turning around in shock, the wizard saw a very infuriated Levi brandishing a crippled but still sharp sword.

"I couldn't have said it better myself!" With a war cry, the teen rushed toward his foe and slashed at him with the sword.

The madman dodged, but Levi landed a hard kick on Zeke's guts and kept attacking.

Eren finally managed to get a hold on the demon's tail and swatted the monster against a rock, causing it to explode in thin green smoke. Satisfied with his work, he turned to see Levi and Zeke fighting.

The boy slashed with his sword and the wizard shot beams of magic that the teen dodged or blocked with the flat side of the blade.

A particular strong beam then blasted Levi back, the sword breaking to the length of a knife, leaving him defenseless.

"You've been a pain for way too much. It's over now!" Zeke grinned madly.

Eren rushed toward the wizard and leaped, biting down on his arm.

The man yowled in pain and swatted the pup away. Levi took the opportunity and shot out the blade, cutting through the string of the artifact. It flew out in the air until it landed in Levi's open hand.

"My relic!" Zeke gasped.

The boy glared and then gripped the artifact harder cracking the glass and making the green glow turn into a fiery yellow.

Erwin coughed up blood. He probably had some broken ribs from his fight, but he tried to stand up once again. The statue of the Pegasus reared back to land it's finishing blow when it's body was suddenly engulfed by red cracks and then exploded, sending shards of stone flying all over the place. The blast knocked the blonde against the wall.

"This is for Erwin." Levi hissed as he cracked the tube. The yellow glow now turned to red.

Zeke's body slowly begun to cripple  and the wizard stared in horror as his skin begun to shred off.

"Give that to me!" he bellowed as he lurched forward to grab the teen.

"This is for my family." The boy applied more pressure, causing red lights to blast from the cracks on the glass.

The madman's broken-self fell to his knees as his flesh begun to melt away, unable to come any closer.

"And this…is for you." Levi growled. 

With a intense glare, he threw the relic to the floor and stomped on it, shattering the glass in thousands of pieces and causing a powerful explosion of green light that blasted him and the wizard away.

A beam of light erupted to the sky and into the clouds, where a large swirl of demons encircled over a now ruined and terrified Zeke.

Levi stood up again and backed away as he looked at the gruesome show.

A fire ball dropped from the swirl, hitting the wizard and, with a yell of pain, his remaining corpse melted down in slime and into a puddle, leaving just robes and a cracking skeleton. It jerked without control as then it turned into thin dust and fell to the ground, motionless, until the night's breeze swept the ashes away.

And finally, there was silence.

Levi, tired and injured, let out a relieved sigh in the air.

It was over.

It was finally over.

And Erwin…

He then remembered and rushed over to the unconscious Erwin, kneeling down next to him.

"Erwin." He called but there was no response from the taller man. "Erwin, wake up." He tried again, shaking him.

"Oi. Don't get me with this now." He growled. "Don't you dare do this to me, you bastard! Not right now!" he half-shouted.

But anger was just cover for anxiety. The same sensation twisting at his heart.

There was no response, no stirring.

He was just there. Motionless.

Lifeless.

"Just…why?" he asked. "Why did you came back?"

Eren approached them, ears down and whimpering. He bit and tugged at the blonde's shirt sleeve in attempt to wake him without result.

The prince looked down and shut his eyes close tight. He felt a wave of guilt mixed with sadness wash over him.

"You came back… For me…didn't you?" he asked, his voice trembled.

He felt sorry for what he said and thought. In the end, the feelings he had with him were true. And because of his pride, he never told them.

And now, he wouldn't have opportunity to say them. Never again.

If only he could change it…

If only…

He brought his knees to his chest, burying his face in his hands with a sad sigh and didn't notice the man next to him stir in his sleep.

"Ow…"

Levi looked up suddenly, turning to see Erwin waking up, drowsy and broken but alive.

"Levi?" he asked confused.

"Erwin!" the boy called out, a happy smile drawn on his lips as he threw his arms around the blonde in a hug. "You big-ass idiot. Make a joke like that again and I swear, I'll kill you." He then remarked with a glare, bumping his fist on the blonde's shoulder.

"Ow! Easy." Erwin said hurriedly at the pressure on his broken arm.

"Oh…Sorry." The prince apologized. "I thought you were going back to…"

"I was." The man said. "But I couldn't take that train."

"Why?" the teen asked. He thought he already knew the answer, but wanted to hear it himself. To finally know.

"Because…" Erwin started "Because I…"

Eren's sudden bark snapped them out reality.

Looking down, both men saw the pup holding in his teeth a golden crown with three shining gemstones.

Erwin picked it up as they rose back to their feet, with Levi helping him standing up.

"I think they're waiting for you." He said to the prince, handing him the crown.

Levi didn't pick the crown when the blonde offered it to him. Instead, He grabbed the collar of the taller man's vest, bringing him down to his eye level.

"Then they'll have to fucking wait."

With that, he smashed his lips against Erwin's.

The blonde was caught off guard in the beginning. But he smiled to himself as he reached a hand to the back of Levi's head and the other around the waist, deepening their kiss.

Eren's cheek turned red as a tomato and he carefully backed away to leave them their privacy.

Suddenly, Hanji jumped out a bush, swinging wildly a sword in her hand.

"Okay, I saw the green light and I'm here to…oh." She stopped when she noticed the prince and the blonde busy in their kiss.

"WHOO! ABOUT TIME!" she cheered, throwing her hands up.

"I'll kill her after this…" Levi muttered.

"Eheh… Maybe later." The blonde grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That last part tho...eheheh <3


End file.
